The Lives and Times of Kaleido Shirou Schweinorg
by Angry Santo
Summary: A collection of snippets and dabbles recording the alternate lives and troubling times of the adoptive son of Wizard Marshal Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, Shirou Schweinorg. Akasha preserve him because he's going to need the help...
1. Prologue

Hello and thank you for taking the time to open this up. This story was spawned thanks to a thought experiment that happened in the Beasts Lair. The result? Klaeido Shirou.

I will be posting the snippets made by my co-author and myself here, as well as any other snippets made by anyone else, as long as I get permission from the author. I recommend going to BL and visiting the thread for a more thorough explanation of how Shirou's personalities and ideals changed, as well as a much more thorough explanation of how his abilities work.

I will post a quick version of his powers at the end of the prologue.

As for the necessary disclaimers. Neither Ilurk nor I own Fate/Stay Night (even if we very much wish we did), nor do we own anything this will be crossed over with...we own nothing...nothing at all (TTwTT)

This prologue was written by ILurkNoMoar of the Beasts Lair.

Now, On With The Show!

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Among the blighted remains of the streets near Shinto, a young redheaded boy wandered aimlessly through the smoldering wreckage that had once been his home. One could honestly say that the fire had burned away his life as the flames charred his flesh. His family and friends were dead, his home destroyed and with every passing moment, the memories of his past eclipsed by the numbing pain of his surroundings as his mind went blank.

The cries of the countless dead or dying calling out for a miracle, praying so desperately for someone to save them. He heard them as they called to him, pleas to drag them to safety as well as their desire for him to join them so they wouldn't die alone. But he persisted, blindly walking away from them as he tried to escape the blaze.

Each breath come to him harder as the smog ridden air filled his lungs and the feeling of smoke and ashes burning him from the inside. It had seemed like hours; "one step after another", "just a little further", were the only thoughts that he had in his mind. But, he was only human and it was only a matter of time before his body failed his spirit. A few seconds later his legs buckled and he fell to his knees. He continued on, oblivious to the pain from his limbs as he crawled, defying his inevitable fate. He refused to accept it; to die without having fulfilled a purpose, without anyone to remember him, without even something as simple as a name.

When he finally collapsed, all he could see was a sky obscured by a thick haze formed from embers and wisps of black smog. As he lay there all he could think to do was pray, that someone would save him after having forsaken so many people himself. In many worlds this boy would look up to see a man with a shaggy mop of hair covered in blood, as he cried tears to joy that he could save even a single person from this disaster of his making. In others it was a stoic priest who reveled in others misery, or occasional apparition of a tainted king with golden eyes.

But here something different happened, through the infinite reflections of the Kaleidoscope was its master. Having arrived here by chance on nothing more than a whim, the crimson eyes of an elderly man looked down at a boy whose fate was totally in his hands. After a moment something sparked in his mind, gloved hands came up to stroke his beard as he contemplated an unspoken idea. He had lost so many apprentices to madness, the brightest minds of their generation broken before the might of the second magic.

"Tell me boy, do you want to live?" he said, perhaps the answer wasn't to take the best and the brightest who were already set in their ways. Desperate to claim any power and prestige they could get their hands on.

The boy nodded, wanting nothing more than to live, no matter the cost he would have to pay.

"Then you will become my apprentice, learn everything I have to teach you and follow my instructions to the letter." Yes, perhaps the answer was not to take the best the association had to offer. Maybe it was to create his successor himself, to mold him so his mind wouldn't break under the stress. Yes, this could be a very good idea or at least an interesting diversion.

There was another nod.

"So be it." and having said his piece, he withdrew an unusual short sword made of jewels. The blade's facets shined with a myriad of rainbow colored lights as the robed man pressed it against his new protégés chest, then everything disappeared in a flash of light as it melded with the boy. It wasn't until after he was unconscious that Zelretch realized they never exchanged names... Well, there will be time for formalities later.

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This story is meant to detail the childhood, and later life experiences of a Shirou as raised by the wizard marshall Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg.

As Shirou was "raised" by Zelretch, he would have been thrown into the multiverse by his adoptive father with reckless abandon at a young age. So any series is possible, Shirou could literally show up anywhere with only his wits and Kaleidosword to protect him. Although, being the brother code to the Kaleidosticks, the sword would likely send him wherever it most amused it, though not where it thought he would be in any physical danger, at first at least. Terrible mental scaring lasting for the rest of his life on the other hand...

These will be the misadventures of a Shirou raised by Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, Master of the Second Magic.

The snippets posted here will range from light-hearted fluff, to action, to the occasional grimness, to comedy, and more.


	2. Shirou:The Last Man

The first written chapter of Klaeido Shirou. This one was concocted by me.

Disclamer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night(even if I _very_ much wish I did) nor do I own what it has been crossed with in this snippet.

Hope you enjoy it.

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Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg ran, his black trench coat flaring behind him with just the right amount of billowiness. He ran as if his life depended upon his ability to move.

As a matter of fact it did.

"Dammit OS! How long till we are ready to slide again!" Screamed Shirou as he jumped over chairs, slid under tables, and did acrobatically improbable feats in order to squish himself between tight spaces.

"Weeeelll…I dunno! Tee-hee!"

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT CRAP!"

"Gark-Alright alright, don't get feisty with me boy. I would say give it another seven hours and we can make the jump."

'_Good'_ Thought Shirou, _'Twenty-five thousand two-hundred seconds to go...By the Kaleidoscope who am I kidding! I'm going to die here!'_

"There he is! Get him!" Screamed a young woman as she brandished a taser and attempted to bar Shirou's continued escape from the rather enormous crowd of angry women that were following him.

Shirou sighed mentally, and did not break his stride. "OS! Hook Blade!" The sword on his hip immediately flashed and morphed into a pair of armored leather armbands that housed a pair of blades on their undersides.

The hidden blades had been created by the Assassin Order in the Middle East in order to take out their targets. One Altaïr modified them so that the left ring finger would no longer need to be removed in order to use it.

Many years later, the Turkish Assassins based in Constantinople modified the right blade and gave it a hook. This hook was dull as it was used mainly for climbing. Or, if one had some guts, it could be used like this.

"You're mine!" Said the woman as she lunged forward with her taser, Shirou drew upon the experience imbued within the weapon and ducked under the strike, he threw his left hand to the left as a feint to distract the woman, before ejecting the hook-blade hidden under his right forearm.

He brought that down upon the woman's right clavicle, then pulled her down as he pushed himself over her. He did a quick roll over her back and landed back on his feet behind her. Shirou retracted the hook and continued running, the maneuver having failed to break his stride.

"Ohhh, nice one boss! I haven't seen you pull that move in a while!" Said OS with a laugh, had Shirou had the breath he would have smiled, however his hands were shaking and his vision blurring. How could they not be, he had been sprinting full out for the last eight minutes.

He quickly turned a street and snuck into an alley, hiding behind a trash can he attempted to calm his breathing.

A very large crowd of women streamed pass the opening to the alley, their belligerent war-cries resounding upon his very soul.

"Wow boss…I wonder what you did to piss them off like that."

"You know as well as I do that I did nothing!"

"Ohh c'mon boss, you appeared and that girl said 'It's a man!' and almost jumped you! Your old man would be so proud! His little boy finally spreading his wings! Ohh excuse me I need a tissue." After that, nose blowing sounds could be heard, which honestly befuddled Shirou, seeing as to OS did not have a nose.

"OS…why is it, that with all the colors of the Kaleidoscope to choose from…you sent me to a world without men?"

The sapient sword remained quiet for a few moments, before speaking in a completely honest voice.

"I thought it would be funny."

Shirou's enraged scream caused the stampede of women to turn around and begin the chase anew.

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Strangely enough, it took Shirou most of those seven hours of off and on running for the crowd of women, police women, firefighter women, special agent women, National Guard women, and women in helicopters, to lose sight of him.

Currently Shirou was exhausted, sitting in the shade of a tree while the twilight deepened, while staring at a hotdog stand as if it held the key into the Akashic records themselves.

'_If I go, the woman will most certainly attack me.'_ Deliberated Shirou as he weighed his options. _'But I. Am. __**Starving**__. And if I'm going to continue running I need to eat. The question is…how.'_

It was then that Shirou noticed a little girl staring at him, her eyes wide and fearful. Shirou clenched his stomach and got ready to run as the child filled her lungs with air.

His stomach promptly gurgled loud enough to wake the dead, the sound causing the both of them to freeze.

"A-are you hungry mister?" Said the little girl to Shirou.

Shirou merely nodded to her.

"Well…my mommy says I should not talk to strangers, and that men are dangerous and will hurt me…why are you dangerous mister?" Asked the girl with the innocent curiosity of children.

Shirou sighed, "I'm not dangerous."

"Yes you are." Interrupted OS.

"Shut up."

"What was that?" Said the girl as she moved nearer, her curiosity getting the better of her sense of caution.

Shirou, at that moment, had a providential stroke of genius. "Bring me a hot-dog and I'll tell you."

The girl pouted. "But I want to see it now!" She declared with a stomp.

Shirou called upon one of his greatest skills, one which he had developed as a survival tactic over his years of sliding.

He unleashed the puppy-dog-doe-eyed-stare-pout combination. "Please~? I'm just so hungry~"

The little girls will wilted under the might of such an attack. A quick round of introductions and a few minutes later, Shirou was biting into a hotdog with the table manners of a rabid and starved wolf.

The girl watched, quite surprised at the way the man was eating, when he was done, Shirou gave her the most brilliant smile and a heartfelt thanks. The girl blushed and stammered, not being used to such attention.

"Hey Lucy, you really helped me out here, sooo…want to see something cool?" Said Shirou in a confidential whisper.

"Sure!" Said the girl with wide eyes.

Shirou dug around his trench coat for a few moments, and pulled out a small golden coin, he held it out to the girl. Lucy took the coin and simply stared at it.

"What is this mister?"

"Just a small token of my appreciation, now, hold it in your palm, and think about a light."

"Think about a light?"

"Yep! Just imagine a candle, and then imagine that candle becoming brighter and brighter, until it is so bright that you need that light to leave your head!"

Lucy closed her eyes and concentrated, she did as she was instructed, but nothing happened, when she opened her eyes to reproach Shirou, she noticed that the coin in her hand was glowing with a warm light, she proceeded to stare at it in wonder.

"What is this?"

Shirou smiled. "What is what?"

Lucy pouted. "This! Why is it glowing?"

Shirou's smile became bigger. "Why is what glowing? I don't see any glow."

"Eh?" Lucy looked down at her palm, and realized that the coin had stopped glowing. "Hey! Why did it stop!"

"What did it stop doing?"

"It glowed!"

"Well." Said Shirou, "Maybe you were doing something, and when you stopped doing it, the coin stopped?"

"What?"

Shirou took the coin from her and hid in his closed palm. "Well, think of it this way. If you set your mind to it, there is nothing you cannot do, however, if you lose sight of your goal, you will never get anything done. There will be times when you are thrown off balance and end up in dark places, but as long as you concentrate and never give up." Shirou then opened his palm, the coin in his hand glowing as brightly as a small sun. "A light will most certainly drive away the darkness, allowing you to get your feet under you so you can rise and keep fighting."

The whisper of steel being drawn drew his attention, the sword Shirou had on his hip had risen out of its sheath. "We're good to go boss."

Shirou flipped the coin back to the little girl, then stood and pulled the Kaleidosword fully out of its sheath, he turned around and made a slashing motion with the blade, it caused a many colored rift to open in front of him.

He turned back to Lucy. "Don't tell anyone, but I'm a sorcerer!" With that Shirou fearlessly leapt into the rift he had created, his trench coat billowing in his wake. Lucy ran towards the portal, but it closed before she could reach it.

She spent a long time staring at the golden coin. With some concentration she made it glow once more. She did not know why, but she kept that particular encounter to herself for the rest of her life, the golden coin a carefully kept secret.

As she grew up with awful tales of how men were scum, how each and every one was dangerous and should be feared, she could not help but think back to her own encounter, and think that maybe, just maybe, men were not so bad after all.

Many years later, she re-introduced the males of the human species back into the world, there was much controversy and a great deal of trouble. When she was asked why she fought so strongly for such a thing, she merely smiled and gave a vague answer.

"I met a man twenty-five years ago when I was a child." This proclamation made every woman in the group gasp, they all remembered the great trouble that the appearance of a man had caused, his sudden disappearance had been cause for great worry. But he had never come back, and so had been forgotten.

"This man had spent the entire day running from everyone that tried to kill him. When he encountered me in a park, he gave me a gift, and a few words of encouragement that made me the person I am today.

"And I thought 'If this man was so nice, there is no way that all of them would be bad.' And so now, I am doing what I can to bring balance back into our lives."

It took much trouble, research, and persuasion, but she managed her goal. And but a few years after that she was the proud mother of a beautiful baby boy. As a party was thrown for the first male human to be born in two generations, she was asked what name she would give him.

She simply smiled at the query and said that for the moment it was a secret. As the child grew restless she rocked it slowly back to sleep. "Sleep well my little Shirou."

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*Elsewhere in the Multiverse*

"OS."

"Yes boss."

"Is that a flying, six legged, furry white cross between a moose, a platypus, and an elephant."

"Yes boss."

"And are those people in the ground punching fire at it?"

"Yes boss."

"…and did that kid just fly?"

"Yes boss."

Shirou sighed the sigh of the damned. "OS bring out Curtana, something tells me this won't end peacefully and I don't think I can hold back and not kill anyone."

Shirou could _feel_ OS smile, a mean feat to accomplish when one had no lips. _"Yes boss!"_


	3. Lion Turtle's, Moolatyphant's, and Bears

Obligatory Disclamer: I own neither Fate/Stay night, nor anything it will be crossed over with in this story...now matter how much I wish I did.

This chapter is brought to you by yours truly. Hope you enjoy it.

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Shirou studied the fight between the people riding the six legged moose-platypus-elephant (moolatyphant for short), and the magi that used fire. The people on the moolatyphant were outnumbered approximately nine or ten to one, yet were still putting up a good fight. Although it seemed to Shirou that what they were really trying to do was get away.

Everyone seemed to prefer using elemental magecraft, the kid concentrating on creating air currents, a tanned girl concentrating on using water, most of the time to sweep the fire-users clad like soldiers legs from under them.

There was also a tanned boy with a topknot throwing a boomerang at regular intervals. No sooner did Shirou notice this, the boomerang literally smacked the boy on the forehead on its return trip.

Shirou suppressed his urge to jump in and help the smaller party. The fact they were beleaguered did not meant they were on the right.

The decision on whether to join the fight or not was made for him the moment the flying kid was knocked out of the air, the boy tried to alter his trajectory in order not to meet an early end by impacting at high speed on the ground.

It was just Shirou's luck that the new trajectory caused the kid to be in an immediate impact course with Shirou like a cannonball. A screaming, flailing, panicking, cannonball.

A cannonball with a string of snot flailing in the wind as it impacted against his chest, sending the two of them tumbling to the ground.

"I blame my old man for this." Said Shirou as he attempted to regain his senses. "I don't know how, but I just know that he planned this."

At that moment Shirou became aware of the kid that had barreled into him, who appeared to have been knocked cold by the impact. The sound of boots striking the earth in unison brought him out of his revere, the majority of the soldiers the group had been fighting were approaching them.

Shirou stood and dusted himself off, it would not do to leave a bad first impression, his grip tightening on Curtana.

OS decided to give his ward a word of advice. "Be cool boss…Icewater in the veins cool."

"Yeah…I know, prepare a prismtrace, someone strong." The slider's only response came in the way of a small twitch of the blade in his hand. Upwards of ten soldiers surrounded him, they were not carrying weapons, however, judging by their way of fighting they did not need them. And while Shirou was not exactly afraid of fire, it did not bring to mind good memories.

The soldier with a plume on his helmet stepped forward, causing every other soldier present to settle into a solid stance with their fist forward.

"Who are you and what reason have you to shelter the criminal." Asked the man in an even voice.

Shirou gave the man a polite smile. "Hi!" He responded with an enthusiasm completely contrary to the gravity of his situation, "I'm Shirou and I am just a traveler! I walked over the hill and then this guy smashed into me. Would you happen to have directions to the nearest town? I seem to have become a little lost."

Shirou's nonchalance threw the man off. "W-what?"

"Well…as I said, I walked over this hill an-"

"Yes! I heard you the first time! Do you honestly expect me to believe that you are out here in the middle of nowhere witnessing a battle to apprehend a criminal by complete coincidence?" Said the solider in a miffed tone of voice.

Shirou remained quiet for a few moments, the look on his face said he was pondering something of great import.

"_**Yes.**_"

The soldier was not amused. "Take him!" He said as he threw his fist forward, a wave of fire emanating from the motion.

Shirou was faster.

He quickly jumped to the side, barreling straight into one of the soldiers surrounding him and causing the two of them to tumble to the floor. Shirou quickly rolled and got his feet under him, then jumped back to avoid being roasted by the rest of the men opening fire.

"Prism Trace!" He ducked back from a kick. "Sword Fighter!" Shirou dodged a wave of fire, only to catch an axe-kick on his chest, knocking the air out of his lungs and sending him to the floor. "Set!" he croaked out with what little breath he had left.

One of the soldiers sought to stomp on Shirou's head, causing him to roll to the side in order to avoid that, only to receive a kick in the stomach, followed by a wave of fire that propelled him to a tree.

The soldiers approached him slowly, giving Shirou the small reprieve he needed. He quickly got his feet under him, prepared to sprint forward, and finished his aria, "Engage!"

The Klaeidosword was, at its best, a prototype. Its descendants, the Klaeidosticks, were able to draw prana and experience from alternates of their wielder, and give whoever was using them the ability to manipulate that prana. If the wielder was talented enough, it could synchronize them with a mystic object of great power, and grant them strength and abilities beyond what would normally be called human.

The Klaeidosword could do no such thing.

It _could, _however, synchronize Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg with the experiences of any of his alternates in the multiverse.

And Emiya Shirou was a nexus.

Most people are basically the same person no matter where you go in the multiverse, Joseph the accountant will be repeated a hundred thousand times before you run into Joseph the mercenary. Emiya Shirou was no different.

What _was_ different, is that when searching for alternatives of Emiya Shirou, one will find Emiya Shirou Hero of Justice, a hundred million times, before they run into Emiya Shirou Assassin, or Emiya Shirou Mercenary. One would need to search several million more, before one found Emiya Shirou the happy house husband.

What this meant was that most alternatives of Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg were blessed with a life full of conflict, conflict that they rose against and overcame with nothing more than guts, sweat, and an indomitable spirit.

It was one of those variations that Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg called upon now. An Emiya Shirou who had learned of magic, yet was touched by the devotion one he met showed to the sword. And so Emiya Shirou idolized this person, and sought to emulate them, he trained long and hard in the use of a sword, and so by his end he became a Sword Master able to match things inhuman with skill alone.

A quick flash of multicolored light caused all the soldiers to throw their fists forward, causing a conflagration that could scorch the air itself to meet upon the point they had last seen their opponent.

The first notice they had that their target no longer inhabited the place they targeted, was when one of them heard the sound of a steak being cut while feeling a vibration in his arm, a moment later he realized his hand was no longer attached to the rest of his arm, he brought air into his lungs in order to scream in shock, for he had yet to feel any pain.

He was never able to finish, for the edge of a broken sword separated his head from his shoulders.

Four more soldiers were mortally wounded before they realized they were under attack, the four fallen clutching at their necks, arms, and legs in futile attempts to stem the loss of their precious life fluid.

Two more fell, one cut from stem to stern, the other trying to scoop his intestines back into his belly before they were able to react in order to mount a defense.

Five fists drove forth fire coming to their defense, five waves that sought to engulf the blur that sought to end them.

They failed to find their mark, for the blur weaved and wove in between the spaces not consumed by fire, moving only the smallest possible distance so as to not be affected by either the fire, or the heat it released.

The five were finally able to see what was attacking them, the young man they had targeted earlier had somehow changed clothes. He was wearing metal tipped black boots, black pants with belts that secured them to his legs, a blue shirt with golden highlights with a white undershirt beneath it, his forearms protected by black leather arm bracers.

No sooner had they recognized what the threat was, it was among them once more. Their training took over and they attempted to surround and destroy the killer of their comrades.

Yet not a single one was able to touch him.

His movements were precise; he flowed around their strikes with the ease of a breeze, moving like a vengeful wind he attacked with a pinpointed accuracy at the mortal weaknesses of their bodies.

The first fell clutching his armpit.

The second his thigh.

The third with a wet gurgle as blood filled his exposed throat.

The fourth was maneuvered into withstanding a strike of fire from his comrade, before the broken tip of the sword the enemy used found his heart.

The fifth had his legs swept out from under him, the swords edge descending unto his neck, separating his head from his shoulders.

The Sword of Mercy had made its judgment, and had found them wanting.

Shirou quickly took stock of his situation, twelve men either dead, or soon to be. The child they were seeking was still out cold.

The flying creature was still circling the area, kept at bay by the still significant number of fire magi at the bottom of the hill, the two on the things back doing their best to counter, but barely able to keep the fire away from the things hide with waves of water whenever a shot got too close.

Even when drawing upon the experience of a true sword master, there were too many for Shirou to fight without using lethal force, a direct confrontation was out of the question. Nor was it likely that he could get away unnoticed, and if he did, he would be hunted for what he had done to twelve of their comrades.

Shirou looked to the unconscious kid, then to the still circling thing in the skies, and had himself an idea.

A few moments later the circling sky bison recoiled as an arrow crossed his field of vision, a second one soon followed, followed by a third, all of them too far away to have a hope of striking it.

As soon as it spied what had been attacking, it dismissed all thoughts of what had tried to attack it. On the ground was one of the small two legged things holding the unconscious master, waving in order to get its attention.

The sky bison known as Appa did not have sapience, however, it had been theorized by many that it was in fact smarter than your average human. In this case, it either had a providential strike of foresight, or its urge to protect its master simply overrode any thought of self preservation.

Those who were acquainted with the creature later debated that it was likely a mixture of the two.

It began to move towards the hill, the soldiers in the ground following in order to keep it at bay. They were suddenly assaulted by a blue and white whirlwind, the attack catching them entirely by surprise.

As closely packed as they were, and distracted by keeping the large creature in the sky, they were completely unable to react quickly to this new threat, their comrades falling one after another, one or two fell with broken bones, three were missing a hand or a foot, but most who fell to the swordsman's strikes, fell clutching small cuts that bled profusely.

They stopped paying attention to the sky bison and turned their attention on their assailant, they immediately noted that he was carrying the unconscious Avatar over one shoulder, and while the unconscious boy was most certainly a burden, it somehow failed to affect his movements as he wove through their attacks in a captivating dance.

As soon as the group managed to make some space between themselves and their attacker, he did something which surprised all of them. He threw his sword to the heavens leaving him weaponless.

"OS! Chain and sickle!" He screamed.

Before their very eyes his weapon gave off a multicolored flash of light, becoming a long chain with a sickle on one end and a weight grasped in the young man's fist in the other.

The flying creature they had been disregarding bit the airborne chain, and sped off.

The nameless swordsman that had thwarted their best chance at capturing the Avatar, gave them only one word to remember him by before he was yanked away, hanging unto the chain in his grip as if his life depended on it.

"ALLONS-Y!"

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There is a direct continuation of this snippet which will be posted later, I would however, ask ye oh reader the favor of dropping me a review, let me know what you thought were the strong and weak points, what was overdone or underdone.

Than you for your time.


	4. Conversations with a Tea Connoisseur

Obligatory Disclamer: I own neither Fate/Stay night, nor anything it will be crossed over with in this story...now matter how much I wish I did.

This chapter is a direct continuation of the previous snippet, and was also written by yours truly.

Hope you enjoy.

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Shirou was now walking into a mildly busy town, compared to the sprawling megalopolises he had encountered over his travels it was barely more than a small village, but probably bustling and large by local standards. The moolatyphant (which he had learned was actually a sky bison, but the name Shirou came up with was much cooler anyways) receding to a small dot in the distance behind him.

'_Well,'_ Thought Shirou. _'That could have gone better.'_

At first he had been hailed a hero by the three kids for helping them out of their tight-spot. He'd gotten some food, a couple of hours of much needed sleep, and was able to trade a few knickknacks for a sufficient amount of the local currency to live off of for a day or two.

Then the smallest kid learned the fact that Shirou killed at least twelve men, and likely a significant number more before he was able to escape.

The following conversation had been…tense, to say the least.

"Hey boss," Said OS, "You should find yourself an inn, you're looking a little pale."

Shirou brought a shaking hand up to his forehead, "You…you might be right OS."

He hustled around, asking for directions in order to find an inn, his movements becoming more erratic by the minute. His hands were becoming jitterier with every step he took.

He counted it a blessing when he finally did find an inn. He crashed his way into the establishment, not even bothering to look at what the place was called. Shirou walked straight to the bartender, asked for a room, and probably ended up overpaying by a significant margin if the man's shouts were anything to go by.

He sprinted up the stairs to the rooms, counted the number of doors the innkeeper had indicated, then almost fell into his room and locked the door behind him.

He immediately ran to what he presumed to be the bathroom and proceeded to throw up.

"Ahhh, it's finally setting in eh?" Said OS in a calming tone, "Killing doesn't get any easier for you, eh boss?"

Shirou's only response was dry heaving into the basin.

"Probably a good thing though." Continued the enchanted sword, "Once you are no longer affected by it, you could end up enjoying it, and that would not be such a good thing."

Whatever response Shirou made was lost as, contrary to his belief, his stomach proved him wrong and showed that it still had things to throw back up at him.

It took him four hours to deem himself composed enough to go down and try to procure a meal.

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"So, OS." Said Shirou, sitting in the dining area with a plate of noodles and green tea, it was not the best meal he'd ever had. But it was certainly far from the worst, "How long did the prism trace add to the time to slide again?"

The sapient sword remained quiet for several moments, "Humm…It was a relatively low consumption trace, and this 'verse is overflowing with mana. I'd say that it normally would have added some five hours, but with the amount of free-floating mana in the air here…call it two to three, so ten or so hours and we'll likely be ready to slide again if you'd like."

"Yeah," Said Shirou as he remembered the slaughter of half a day before, "It would likely be a good idea to move on before they set up a bounty for my head…How much longer would we need to stay here to fill up a few jewels? If the local mana is as abundant as you say, we should take advantage of that."

"Well…we have eight filled right now, if you use two we could slide immediately. If I divert fifty percent of the mana to filling up two jewels…I'd say that the time before the jump is ready would be eighteen." Said the sword.

"Good, make it three jewels, twenty-two hours on this place don't sound so bad." Said Shirou as he finished his noodles and downed what remained of his tea in one gulp.

He thanked the inn-keeper and walked out intent on having a little fun.

It was a good place, the people smiled genuine smiles, while children ran to and fro in the street playing a game only they understood. Shirou lost himself in the marketplace for a couple of hours, as he indulged in one of his favorite pastimes.

Trading was, dare he say it, one of his guilty pleasures. Haggling with vendors from different realities was always fun. Having to guess at the value of local currencies, the way that different cultures and customs that directed the trading, the way one could lose themselves when bartering for something particularly precious. The journey was as important as the destination as the saying went.

He traded a small amount of refined gunpowder for a pipe, a few silver coins for high-quality leaf, chalk for some herbs and a camping teapot, a small jar of honey for ingredients he could use to make poisons. Lastly a quantity of gunpowder for containers of oil's and cloth's he could use to maintain some of his other equipment, as well as give OS that special shine he liked.

Before he knew it the sun had begun to set and it was time to go back to the inn.

When he returned to the inn he paid for a light dinner, and then turned in early.

Sleep was a long time coming.

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_Shirou ignored the pain in his body, if he froze now he would die. He had not thought much on the effects of this particular trace, but he did not have the luxury of worrying about that now. "Engage!"_

_Shirou could feel strength and speed not his own coursing through his limbs, his adrenal glands working overtime, he quickly dodged to the side in order to avoid his enemy's clumsy attacks. The kaleidoscopic flash of light would be enough of a distraction to allow him to close in with the enemy._

_He drew forth his favored blade, the battleaxe biting deep into the stomach of the first man he came across, he viciously removed the weapon from the man's belly, incidentally showering himself with the man's blood and intestinal fluids, and without hesitation threw it at one farther down the line._

_He picked up a machinegun that was near to him, and rather than open fire he jumped over the trench and brought it down in a two handed strike unto another man's head, caving in the top of his head and breaking the weapon in the process._

_He took the knife from the corpse's belt as it began to fall, and fell upon its now panicking comrades with the ferocity of a wild beast, rejoicing in battle, listening to his blood sing, relishing in the slaughter, picking their screaming forms off the floor as he drove his blade countless times into them, covering himself with their life fluid as he took from them everything._

_It took but a few minutes for all those who had hurt him to die. But it was not enough, they had not paid enough, they had not fought enough, they had not done enough, they had not screamed enough, they had not died enough._

_He turned towards the sound of life, of continuing conflict._

_They had chosen to rouse The Dragon._

_The Dragon would not disappoint._

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Shirou bolted awake covered in sweat and breathing as if he had been sprinting full out for several minutes.

It took him a few moments to realize he was not in the middle of a battlefield. Instead he was in the cheapest room of a local inn, in a slightly noisy town in the middle of a warm night.

Shirou brought his palms to his face and waited for the shaking to subside, "OS…what time is it?"

The blade remained quiet for some time before answering. "About four in the morning boss, you should try catching a few more winks before heading out."

Shirou laid back down on the bed. "How much longer before we can slide?"

"Fourteen hours."

"Good." Not a minute later Shirou was asleep again.

He was able to rest peacefully for the next six hours in a dreamless sleep.

When he awoke that morning, he had overslept and had to make a late breakfast of what was left from the kitchen. He thanked the innkeeper for everything by leaving behind a large tip before setting off again. He was likely not going to have use for their money once he slid anyways.

Once outside he began walking through the crowd, fishing for a way to amuse himself for a day before moving on.

During his walking around, he heard the voice of a gregarious old man talking about tea-leaves. Shirou grew curious and decided to investigate.

As he grew closer, he was able to identify distress in the voice of the old man. "Ahh but you see, it would seem I forgot to get my money pouch from my nephew, and while I did drink your tea with great relish, I do not have the money to pay. Would it be too much trouble for me to come back in an hour or two and pay you then?"

The owner of the tea-shop did not look amused. "Look old man, if you are not paying then I can throw you in the kitchen, either way I'll be getting some form of payment for all you drank."

As the old man opened his mouth in order to plead again, Shirou walked up and set a large portion of his money on the table.

"Would that be enough to cover him?" He asked with a somewhat bored tone in his voice.

The owner of the place took time counting, then grunted and tried to hand back some of the money to Shirou, who gave a dismissive wave.

"Nah, keep it." With that he turned and began walking away, seeking to be alone with his thoughts.

"Ahh, wait a minute young man, these old legs are not as fast as they used to be." Said the rotund man as he tried to keep up with Shirou's longer strides.

Shirou glanced over at him. "Hmm? Do you have business with me sir?"

"Why yes young one! I have yet to thank you." Said the old man with a grin.

Shirou turned and began walking again, sparing the old man a smile. "The act of helping is thanks enough in my opinion."

"My my, not only generous but humble as well! One is hard pressed to find young men such as yourself these days. So youngster, what brings you to this fine place?"

"Nothing really, just a traveler passing through."

"Well, I happen to be traveling as well on an extended vacation with my nephew, we have been traveling all over the four nations for some time now. Have any news from the Earth Kingdom's capital? I do think that's where we will be heading next."

Shirou quickly brought to mind the map in the inn that he had glanced over for a few moments. "No, not really, I came here from the south and stuck to the least traveled roads, so I would not know much of recent news."

"Ahh, well that's too bad, still, why don't you let me treat you to lunch once I meet up with my nephew as a token of my appreciation?"

"Ah, t-that will not be nece-"

"Nonsense! I insist!" Interrupted the old man.

Shirou tried to find a polite way to refuse him, but really could not find a way to without being rude. The old man held him by the arm and all but dragged him towards this supposed nephew of his, who Shirou 'just had to meet.'

He was invariably stuck in the old man's rhythm now, and trying to figure out how that came to pass.

Despite his prior reservations Shirou found himself having a lot of fun, the old man dragged him around to food stalls, places in the market he had not yet seen, some of the better establishments. It seemed like he had been there before, and was now just having fun pulling someone along for the ride.

It was in such a way that Shirou found himself in yet another teashop, wondering where the last eight hours had run off to.

"Ahh, forgive me youngster, but this old man just realized he forgot to get your name. My own name is Iroh by the way." Said the gregarious old man as he took a sip from his drink.

"Shirou." Was the slider's succinct response.

"Well Shirou, do forgive an old man for intruding, but I have noticed that you have something dark in your mind bothering you. And I can tell you from experience that talking about one's troubles is always a good way to feel better." Said Iroh, talking in a much more mature tone than he had used all day.

Despite his own 'no relations' policy, Shirou found himself trusting the gregarious old man.

"Well, I…I was attacked yesterday." Said the slider hesitantly.

"Oh heavens, I can see that you yourself seem to be fine. Perhaps it is the ones who attacked you which cause you worry?" Responded Iroh with a grave tone of voice.

"I…no, that's not really what bothers me, it's not the first time I've been attacked like that, nor do I think it will be the last. The perils of traveling alone I suppose." Said Shirou with a tired smile.

"Ahhh, I think I see youngster, you move quite precisely, so you hit me as a person who knew how to take care of themselves. If I were to ask what happened to the ones who attacked you, what response would I get?"

Shirou remained quiet, the shame on his face as well as his averted eyes all the response Iroh needed.

"Well, as far as I understand it youngster, I would think that they were the ones to draw weapons on you, correct?" Asked Iroh in a calm tone of voice.

"What would make you think that?" Said Shirou with a bitter smile, "For all you know I murdered them in cold blood."

Iroh simply smiled at the boy's outburst. "Would a cold blooded killer pay for an old man's tea?" Said Iroh with a smile of his own, the simple question having left the young slider speechless.

"However," Continued Iroh, "I hope you forgive an old man's ramblings, but I cannot help but feel that it was not the act itself that bothers you young man. There is something that is derived from the act of defending yourself that bothers you." He said with a knowing look in his eye.

Shirou once more showed shame and averted his gaze.

"You know, I used to be a soldier in the olden days. I saw much conflict in my time, got into more than a few fights, made some decisions I would pay almost anything to change. But throughout all that, there was one thing I came to understand." Said Iroh, Shirou listening to his every word as if enraptured.

"One may not necessarily like conflict, but when conflict comes at you, and you are forced to fight merely to survive. You will often times feel elated by the very fact that you lived, yet they didn't, this does not make you a bad person. It just makes you human. It's your soul's way of rejoicing at the fact that you yet live.

"Now, I'm not saying that conflict is something you should seek. But if conflict finds you, you must never let shame dull your determination. It is not wrong to rejoice in the fact that you survived, in fact it is only natural. To deny that feeling would be to deny your humanity, a folly you must do your best not to commit."

Shirou remained in somber silence, Iroh's stare feeling as if it could pierce him to his very soul.

With a wavering voice, he made his query. "But what if…what if, the actual act of the fight brought you joy? Does rejoicing in the middle of that chaos make you a bad person? Does feeling elation when the one attacking you falls, make you a bad person?"

"That is not a question someone else can answer for you young man. That, is something each of us must ask of themselves."

Shirou hung his head in shame, he could feel his hands beginning to burn as his grasp tightened on his hot teacup. When Iroh spoke once more.

"Myself however." Said Iroh with a big smile on his face. "I very much doubt that a young man nice enough to keep an annoying old man company for an entire day and listen to his rambling for half of that, could ever be a bad person."

Shirou just stared at the old man slack jawed, before he started to laugh. A clear, completely normal laugh, filled with the most pure amusement, a laugh Iroh joined him in. The old man's laughter loud and merry enough to draw attention and scare a few cats.

Shirou got his mirth under control and wiped a few tears from his eyes. "You know…you helped me out quite a bit old man." He said with a genuine smile.

"Me? Oh no no no, I am just a rambling old man that likes tea." Said Iroh with a grin and a laugh.

Shirou looked to the skies then stood. "Well, it's been a true pleasure, but it's time for me to go. I had a lot of fun old man, thanks for keeping me company."

"Wow! I was about to say the same thing, are you a mind reader, young man?"

Shirou could not help but grin at the old man's question. "I can honestly say I'm not one at the moment." His response caused Iroh to grin before the old man recognized the sincerity in the answer, leaving the old man to ponder the meaning behind the young man's words.

With that he turned and walked away, giving Iroh one last wave, before disappearing into the bustle of the small town.

That night Iroh met up with his nephew in camp. Zuko was on a rage that a stranger with red hair and foreign features had not only slain over twenty men, but had helped the Avatar escape their grasp.

Iroh could not help but think back to the sad young man that had helped him earlier in the day.

'_Ahh'_ He thought. _'So that's what was bothering you eh?'_

With a frown he set to the task of mourning and taking care of the dead. Once he saw the corpses, he could only feel gratitude to the young man for ensuring that they did not suffer long.

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*Elsewhere in the multiverse*

"Ihre großen Brüste sind eine Sache der Schönheit, und Ihre flammenden Stahl ist ein Ding der Gore und Herrlichkeit. Möchten Sie die Hülle um mein Schwert sein?"

"_Vernichten."_

"OS…why did the sword sound pissed and why does the nice pink haired lady have a corona of flames engulfing her?"

"BURN YOU PERVERSE CUR!"

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Author's Notes:

Once more, I'd like to pester you, oh reader, for a review. What I am honestly the most worried about is whether or not I got Iroh's characterization right,he is one that is somewhat hard to get correctly, so if you've seen Avatar the Last Airbender (and if you haven't I urge you to watch it, is is a very good show) then do please let me know.

Anything that satisfied you or dissatisfied you? Drop me a review or PM.

Thank you for your time.

Intimate Conversations with a Tea Connoisseur


	5. Familiar Bedfellows

This snippet was made by ILurkNoMoar

Obligatory disclaimer: ILurkNoMoar does not own Fate/Stay Night.

I do not know exactly how I managed to inspire ILurk into making this snippet but...well.

"I can't believe I just wrote this... Santo, I blame you for necroing my thread" where his exact words :P

Words cannot describe this snippet, so, just...just read on.

And do please drop a review at the end. :P

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Shirou awakened to the sight of another unfamiliar ceiling and a throbbing pain in his head that accompanied the physical state known to many as a hangover. The first part was only a mildly concerning issue, as given his unique set of circumstances he was technically a professional vagrant. No, this wasn't the first time he had found himself waking up in one of the many reflections of Earth offered to him by the Kaleidoscope and he doubted it would be the last.

What had him worried was his uncharacteristically rash behavior; there was a reason drinking was on his list of things to avoid, especially after that drinking contest with Sanguine. Let's just say, when an absurdly powerful elderitch abomination who personifies hedonistic revelry and debauchery considers your pops a drinking buddy, there's no way he'll let you leave his dominion without learning how to hold your liquor at the very least.

Although that staff was a nice addition to his collection and those serving atronachs were easy on the eyes too... moving on.

Now, had Shirou not been so preoccupied with his thoughts he would have noticed two very important facts, the first was that he was not as alone as he had previously thought. So it was much to his surprise when he attempted to remove himself from this bed, that was far to comfortable in his opinion as working up the will to even try took more energy then he would have liked, that he found the majority of his right side was pinned under a very warm and delightfully soft bed mate.

The second was his state of dress, as he could feel enough skin from his partner to say with reasonable certainty that he wasn't wearing anymore than the day he was born. Then again, if the chest that pressed more deeply into him, and a well endowed chest at that; as well as the toned softness of an inner thigh that sought to entwine with his own as she nuzzled into Shirou's side were any indication, her situation was much the same.

It had been sometime since Shirou had the pleasure of sharing a bed with a woman, and every man had needs; while many men would have wanted a little more out of this. Shirou found that he preferred the sense of intimacy and comfort just laying with someone could bring, however brief it was. He loved the adventures his travels gave him, but every once in a while he did get a little lonely. After all, he was only human.

Shirou tried to roll onto his side to get a better look at his mysterious partner, while taking special care not to wake her but found he couldn't untangled himself from her grasp. It seemed that the red-headed stranger liked to cuddle; so Shirou settled for parting the frankly unruly mop of crimson hair that hid her eyes, which was a trial in of itself due to her bad case of bed-head.

She was about the same age as himself, somewhere between 19 and 20, with with a body that implied a life spent on the run or doing dangerous activities, if the scars that peppered her were any indication. Her Asian features that seemed strange for someone with naturally red hair and crooked eye brows. Then again who was he to comment on features that he shared himself; in fact if he didn't know any better, he would of said she could be one of...his alter- nates...

_No. Just no, OS wouldn't do something like this.  
_  
Shirou was frantically looking around trying to disprove his theory, the abandoned piles of clothes scattered around the room did nothing to alleviate his concern upon seeing a smaller and distinctly feminine version of his coat along with copies of a few other the items from his collection.  
In the back of his mind he noted the absence of a certain jeweled sword.

_Who am I kidding, this is exactly the kind of thing OS would do! _

Unfortunately, his commotion seemed to have woken the girl who was so peacefully sleeping next to him a moment ago. She sleepily rose from her resting place as she rubbed her eyes with both hands before yawning. She began to stretch and raise her hands above her head, giving Shirou an excellent view of her chest. Which was, as he suspected very well endowed, but more importantly a clear view at the scar that he also shared on his chest.

_I swear I'm going to kill him when I find him._

The final two damning nails that sealed the coffin that was his theory were the pair of golden eyes that were in serious danger of drooping shut again, and an enchanting voice that yawned her next question.

"Hello there~, Have you seen a sword around here? She's made of jewels and probably tried to flirt with you."

_Yep, defiantly going to kill him._ _In the most slow, painful way possible._

This was the beginning of a very strange, and very awkward day.

The day after Kaleido Shirou Schweinorg sleep with his alternate, Kaleido Shiko Schweinorg.


	6. She Rested Upon Lost Jerusalem: Part 1

Another great contribution to the thread. This one penned by none other than Old_Iron himself, more kudos than can be properly articulated go to him, for he is an amazing author. I served as naught but a humble beta.

Hope you guys enjoy.

She Rested Upon Lost Jerusalem: Part 1

-START-

The world was... _alive._

In all his travels thus far, Shirou Schweinorg had never laid eyes upon such a lush and vibrant land. Verdant plains stretched on into the distance as a dense forest began to encroach upon the grassy landscape. Small patches of wildflowers dotted the landscape while in the distance, hills of varying size rose up into the sky as though desiring to be mountains.

"This is... amazing..." His voice was filled with wonder as he took in the surroundings. They were calming, relaxing. The soft shuffling of his boots through the grass only served to further ease his mind.

"...We're not dead are we? Because I would really not appreciate being dead," snarked the sentient jeweled blade at his side. The masculine tone sounded almost sarcastic.

Shirou sent a baleful glare towards the Kaleidosword. "No, we're not dead, OS. We are very much alive." A sigh escaped his lips. Leave it to OS to ruin the first bit of peace he'd had in a very long time. Between his own propensity to get into trouble and the enchanted blade's love of making his life miserable, Shirou had a hard time remembering the last time he'd had a decent night's rest.

"If you say so." Were it possible, the weapon would have shrugged as if humoring the redhead. "So what're you going to do, boss? There's a whole lot of... nothing to do."

"I. Am going to take it easy for a bit." He began making his way towards the trees, away from the hilly landmass. Shirou felt he deserved a break for once. No crazy women trying to murder him or seduce him. No wars to be fought. No cursing his father for the umpteenth time.

No tentacles...

In fact, he might even go a while without cursing OS' knack for pissing people off in an effort to make things more exciting. The lack of people around seemed to help such a hope.

OS did not seem amused. "A vacation? Really? Come on, who needs a vacation when you've got the entire multiverse to explore?" The lad could be such a stick in the mud at times.

"That would be me. Or have you forgotten where we came from? I don't know what kind of disease Snu Snu is, but I would rather not find out." A mental grimace came to mind as he recalled the _glee_ of those men as they charged into the infected zone. And the _aliens_. Insane. All of them.

"I suppose you have a point." Even he had to agree the previous dimension had been greatly unsettling. Their conversation faded as Shirou set foot into the forest.

It was not long however, before the redhead began to notice something was off about their surroundings. It had nothing to do with the wildlife, of which there had not been a great amount of thus far, but rather the geography. Shirou noted the trees began to become more and more sparse in a linear fashion the deeper he went into the forest. It was only occurring along what appeared to be a increasingly deepening gouge in the landscape.

"Perhaps a meteor hit a long time ago?" He had gotten used to voicing his internal questions aloud. It was better to let them out when OS was around rather than keeping them bottled up and having the sword needle them out of him.

OS was wishing he were more physically expressive as the desire to have the capability to roll his eyes struck with great force. "Most likely. At least its something to check out. I'm sick of counting trees, boss."

"Alright. Alright. Keep your... something on." OS merely laughed at his failure at humor.

When it appeared as though the trench would simply continue onwards and become only deeper, Shirou opted to jump down and follow within the curved scar upon the land. Granted, it hardly looked like a scar with the myriad grasses, roots, and flowers filling it, but it was a scar nonetheless. It was when he looked down towards the large pit at the end of the trench did he finally notice something wholly out of the ordinary.

Blue.

A shimmering, powder blue which stood out in the sunlight against the earthen browns and greens.

Under normal circumstances, such a color would not evoke much more than appreciative word or emotion. Particularly when more flowers than he knew the names of could be painted with such a color.

Yet, circumstances such as these were not what one might consider normal.

His footsteps became hurried as he approached the source of the color. Long silken tresses were adorned in the hue. The hair of a woman. A woman who lay unmoving upon the floor of what he believed was an impact crater of years long passed.

No one should be alone in such a remote place. When Shirou considered there had been not a single sign of civilization thus far, he became even more concerned. He called out to the woman as he approached, "Hey! Are you alright?" He did not truly expect a response and was unsurprised when none came.

"Shirou." OS' voice cut into his thoughts. He rarely addressed Shirou by his name, favoring 'boss' instead. However often when the sword did so, it was of great or grave importance. "Look there, next to her."

"What do you...?" Shirou trailed off as he paused his movement only a few meters away from the blue haired female. Laying in the grass off to the side was a leg. A badly damaged leg which upon further scrutiny was... oddly mechanical in nature. However, it was not the unusual nature of the leg which bothered him. No, it was the fact the leg looked as though it had been torn off of the stump of it owner most violently.

The owner who lay before him.

OS broke the silence which had fallen upon the scene. "I'm pretty sure she's not human." There was a pregnant pause. "In fact, I'm pretty sure she's some kind of golem or one of those... robot things."

The redhead nodded as he closed the distance and kneeled down next to the woman, noting the heavy damage to her body. Not only had one of her legs been torn away, but her left arm was completely missing and multitudes of wounds littered her frame. "It looks that way... Still, what happened to her? And why leave her out here and not fix her?" In his experiences, one rarely expended the resources for such a... beautiful aide without taking proper care of them.

And beautiful she was, even dirtied by soil and time.

Her hair was even more stunning up close, long and splayed out like a halo. Pale skin and a generous figure the likes of which could only be sculpted by careful and skilled hands. Metal, armor-like adornments of white, black, and gold covered her form and provided what decency the torn and tattered white and black cloth was unable to. The most prominent of which was a visor connected to large protrusions covering her ears. Upon the visor was written a pair of words he spoke silently. His eyes were drawn to full, pink lips which looked... so inviting...

A cough from the blade at Shirou's side brought him back to reality. "We're not going to have a reenactment of Sleeping Beauty are we?" His wielder certainly had some experience with the ladies, but this was... simply awkward for the enchanted sword.

"Err... no. No we're not." Shirou gazed down at the inert being, thoughts whirling about his mind.

"You're not planning to..." Oh, he knew the look on his master's face. Shirou was about to do something which would turn out to be highly beneficial, incredibly amusing, or backfire horrendously. If OS was lucky, it would be a mixture of the three. Unfortunately... the latter was usually the case when this sort of thing happened.

Shirou nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to try and fix her up. Depending on the extent of the damage and what I can do with what's available, I might be able to reactivate her."

"Boss, we're in the middle of a forest." Granted, things like improper workspaces hadn't stopped Shirou before. He doubted this would change any time soon.

Waving off the location, Shirou replied with a determined look in his eyes. "Minor detail. With the right trace, I should be able to properly compensate for the environment. How many jewels do we have on hand and how quickly can we fill replacements?"

"We've got eight on hand and considering the local density? It shouldn't take long to fill new ones at all. This place is so alive and densely packed with mana, it makes you look transparent." OS was betting on the apparent lack of human settlement being the case.

"Excellent... Now lets get a better look at her..." Ignoring the perverse jab sent his way by the sword, Shirou began examining the golem far more closely. She seemed far too human. In fact, where skin had been burned away or torn, it appeared as though there was artificial musculature beneath it. Even the more severe wounds looked like they were mechanical reproductions of human systems. There were times he felt like he was looking at a human body rather than a construct.

"Any ideas, boss?" The silence was as irritating as it was stifling. Couldn't Shirou at least talk while fondling his find? It might be a bit less creepy.

Standing upright after brushing off the debris and placing the errant leg close to its point of contact, he sighed. "Well, none of the usual preferred methods are going to work. She's more like a flesh and blood woman than a machine from what I can tell. And I'm not exactly a doctor."

OS snorted. "I'm pretty sure at least one of you out there learned something beyond how to use a medkit stuck in a wall. Shall we find out and see if we can increase the party size to three?"

Shirou laughed as he took the sword in hand. "I think we should give it a try." He glanced down at the woman once more. "I'm pretty sure KOS-MOS will appreciate it."

OS' voice became more machine-like in nature, though hardly in tone. "Preparing prismtrace... Scanning the multiverse... Optimal trace found... Oh, now _this_is hilarious. I'm going to enjoy this one." Shirou shuddered at what those words would entail.

"Prism Trace! Doctor!" Skills, knowledge, and access to specialized equipment became known to him. It flooded his mind and drained his power to fuel their existence. "Set! Engage!" The magic at Shirou's disposal activated in full, everything known became real. It became a part of him in the fullest sense of the meaning. To finalize the trace, his garb shifted, becoming a black and dark green jumpsuit.

All was silent in the forest before he opened his eyes and spoke. The words were like a habit ingrained into his person and he could not resist them.

"Please state the nature of the medical emergency."

-TBC-

If you can name the three series crossed/referenced (Okay, I gave you one of them rather blatantly), I will give you a cookie. Or I will step up efforts on Hard Work 3.

Drop a guess on the reviews :3

Hope you enjoyed.


	7. Never Let Your Sword Do The Talking

Obligatory Disclaimer: I own neither Fate/Stay Night, nor do I own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha...I own nothing, Nyoroooo~n (TTwTT)

Many thanks go to ILurk and Old_Iron for being bros and fixing my terrible Punctuation.

There will also be Author's notes at the end with further Kudos.

Now! On With The Show!

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Shirou stood in the remains of a great abandoned metropolis, which somewhat reminded him of the remains of Chernobyl. A great city, falling into disrepair and abandoned by its citizens. The majority of buildings and infrastructure that once provided transport for untold millions had been destroyed or crippled. A few of the remaining high-rises had been bisected cleanly, suggesting the use of heavy bombardment spells or a powerful directed energy weapon.

It was quite an enigma to him really. He would say that the city was attacked and abandoned, but the signs of fighting were too prevalent. It could have been used as a military city, but the roads were too wide and its layout too easily navigated. Not only that, but some of the damage was clearly decades old; while other bullet holes and craters could not be more than a week old.

Quite the conundrum.

"Dammit…why does it always have to be a destroyed city? It's always a destroyed city. OS, are you sure you sent us to the correct coordinates?" Said Shirou while looking around, he always hated to be in ghost towns. The signs of civilization having been there before, the sadness of a building bereft of meaning. The moaning of the wind; doing its best to replicate the hustle and bustle of people moving, working…_living._

Shirou shook his head, it would not do well to dwell on those matters.

"OS?" Said Shirou with a little trepidation in his voice.

"Huuuuummmmmmm." Said the sapient sword, its noise causing Shirou to sigh in relief. "I could've sworn…I know we are in the right 'verse...but, maybe I messed up the coordinates?"

"What do you mean OS? Where are we?"

"Well…that's the thing, I dunno."

"_What?"_

"No no no, I don't mean it like that boss. I mean…this place has a large concentration of free-floating mana. In amounts that point to thousands of people living here, but there's nothing here."

"Those buildings showed signs of being hit by heavy bombardment spells or something similar. Is it possible that you mistook the residual energy for signs of life?" Shirou theorized.

"Maybe, but the attacks would've had to been recent to still have these concentrations." OS responded.

Shirou scratched his head and sighed. "Well…there's nothing to it but to move right?"

At that precise moment, a series of explosions drew his attention.

"Well…where there is gunfire there are people right? At least that's a start." Let it not be said, that Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg had not become somewhat inured to violence during his travels.

With that, he moved towards the sound of fighting. The distance he had to cover ensured that, even at a jog, it took him several minutes to reach their source.

When he did he almost had his head blown off.

"Shit!" Said Shirou as he dove into a crumbling building that looked to be the very definition of hazardous. But some cover was preferable to having his head taken off.

While there, he peeked out to see what was shooting at him. He saw an airborne rectangular robot hovering several meters away before it shot a few more blasts of concentrated prana at him.

'_Well'_ Thought Shirou, _'Two can play at that game, and I bet you mine's better.'_ With that, he drew OS and charged the sword with the room's free-floating mana. As he did, the blade of his weapon began to give off a mute, multicolored glow.

Shirou waited for a pause in the machine's firing, before quickly popping out of cover. He made a quick slashing motion and fired the energy gathered within OS as a wave at his aggressor. His own attack melting its way through the thing until it reached whatever fuel it burnt, upon which moment it exploded.

Shirou waited a few moments to see if anything else would shoot at him before he stepped out of cover. His patience was rewarded when five more of those machines dashed around the corner of the next street, and attempted to swarm him.

With expert ease Shirou shrunk back into cover and changed his position, while completely ignoring the possibility of the building falling on top of him. Once he found a more advantageous place, he dug a small metal oval out of his coat.

Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg was most certainly not a pyromaniac. He was just someone that liked to be ready for most of any situation, at least, that's what he told himself.

He pressed the center of the oval, and threw it at the robots. His aim was off, and instead of exploding in the middle of their formation, it actually detonated with the power of an angry sun off center to the left of the formation.

The storm of plasma destroyed the robots anyway.

The powerful (and more familiar than it should be healthy to be) shockwave tipped the precarious balance of the building even further, and Shirou found himself with the need to vacate the premises, and so began to run towards a wall.

Shirou accessed OS's parallel feature, and connected the sword to an alternate version of the room he was standing in and charged the weapon with that free-floating mana, then with another slashing motion, made an opening in the wall through which to jump.

Shirou quickly dove through the new structural weakness in the wall, rolling to a stop on the street to disperse his momentum. No sooner did he vacate the premises, the building collapsed behind him, covering the street in a cloud of dust.

Coughing, he sought to exit the cloud. Shirou stumbled about a little, covering his mouth and nose with the arm of his coat. As soon as he managed to exit the dust he had the distinct wish for it to miraculously increase in volume.

In front of him there were no less than thirty of the metal contraptions that shot at him earlier.

'_Crap.'_ Was the brilliant summary of his situation.

Shirou could see the things charging up to fire, and he sought to ready a Prism Trace that would allow him to survive the barrage. When the whine of their weapons suddenly cut off and the machines floated away.

'_Well…not what I expected to happen, but I'll take it!'_ Thought Shirou with a grin.

"You! What are you doing here! This is a restricted area!" Said a light tenor.

He looked towards the direction of the voice, which incidentally was up. And was greeted by a picture that left him with shallow breath.

A clear and intense pair of blue eyes, long waist-length pink hair tied back into a ponytail with a yellow ribbon, an armored pink vest with a white jacket over it shielding a prominent bust, a sword sheathed at her belt, a white armored skirt with shorts bellow it that incidentally left a pair of deliciously creamy legs bare for the world to admire. A beautiful woman stood in the air, with the radiance of the sun complimenting the majestic image.

"Ooohhhh pony tail MOE!" Said OS, completely ruining the moment.

As Shirou stood there fighting the urge to plant his face into his palms at the idiocy of his sword, she floated down and landed lightly in front of him. She was tall for a woman, just an inch or three from looking him in the eye.

"I said, what are you doing here? This is a restricted area." She said as she crossed her arms, her strong tenor weighed by the power of authority. This was a person used to command, and judging by the way her eyebrows were attempting to form a 'V', she was not very tolerant.

Shirou give her his best business smile. "Would you believe me that I don't know myself?" Shirou's tone so light it could float on helium.

Judging by the way one of her eyebrows visibly twitched, she might or might not have had some trouble believing him.

"The only way for you to have arrived here was either by flight, or dimensional transfer." Shirou perked his ears and suppressed a start at that, she continued, having noted his surprise to her statement. "But the bots should have warned you either way that you were about to trespass, I ask again, what are you doing here?"

Shirou at this moment, decided that honesty would likely be the best policy. "In all honesty, my dimensional transfer spell just dropped me off here, I can assure you that this is certainly not where I wanted to be. I _would_ however, be most grateful if you could point me to the nearest town." He finished with his business smile once more.

The woman frowned at him for a few moments more before sighing, she could not detect any deceit in his voice or expression, an art she had become a master at by necessity when living with Hayate and Vita.

"So, you are just lost? Well, chances _are_ one in a billion, so I guess you just got the lucky number." Said the woman as she uncrossed her arms.

"Laevatein" Said the woman.

"_Erklärt."_ Said her sword, a moment later she began to levitate.

"Come, it's a short flight to the base. From there you will be given transport to the city after you've been questioned." She gave him a soft smile. "Don't worry, it's just standard procedure, you'll be released once a small investigation is made to pinpoint the source of the mistake."

Shirou smiled and was about to ask about that handy flight spell, when a certain prismatic sword decided that things were too easy on his hapless partner.

Popping out of its sheath, OS made throat clearing sounds, which befuddled the pink haired young woman, swords did not have throats after all, Shirou however, was far more experienced with the antics of his weapon, and unfortunately froze in dread.

"Little lady, I'd like to say something on the behalf of my boss _*hem hem*_ Ihre großen Brüste sind eine Sache der Schönheit," Said OS with a terrible accent. The statement caused the woman to step back with a light blush on her face.

The weapon however, was not finished. "Und Ihre flammenden Stahl ist ein Ding der Gore und Herrlichkeit." The woman's expression changed to a confused frown as Shirou broke out into a cold sweat.

"Möchten Sie die Hülle um mein Schwert sein?" Finished the weapon. The rosette's face having become much darker at this last sentence.

"_**Vernichten.**__" _Said the weapon at her hip, anger flowing from its tone as fire and brimstone would from a volcano.

"OS…what did you say to piss off her sword?" Said Shirou, fear evident in his voice.

"Oh nothing at all boss." Said the weapon, glee evident in its tone. "Hey lady! One more thing!"

"No OS! Don't make things any worse!" Yelled Shirou as he tried to shove the sword back into its sheath to hush it. But the weapon would not be silenced.

"Glaubst du, du könntest meine Partnerin Schwert zu ziehen und halten Sie sie so fest und liebevoll, wie Sie Ihr eigenes tun?" Finished OS in what Shirou thought was supposed to be a husky tone.

At that moment, Shirou felt heat, _physical_ heat, the type of heat that one feels when they open a heated oven or get a little too close to a roaring fire.

Looking up, he could see that the fury in the woman's eyes would have shamed a wildfire. Shirou held up his hand in a placating gesture. "L-l-l-look, I don't know what OS said, but whatever it wa-"

"My name, is Signum Yagami, Blazing General, Knight of the Blade." With that, she slowly drew her weapon from her sheath. Its blade glowing with a muted amber glow, heat emanating from the blade in visible waves.

"L-Look there is no need to get violent here!" Said Shirou as he backed away slowly, searching for the best viable escape route.

"And I will teach you a lesson in humility." Continued the newly identified Signum as if he had not spoken. "Ready yourself, you _**perverse cur.**_" Giving him no further warning, she rushed forward and kicked him in the stomach, the force behind the strike propelling him a full five feet before he struck ground once more.

"Draw your sword mage, I would have you at your best when I beat you senseless." Said Signum, her voice calm and as solid as the earth. Earth with a current of lava running close to the surface.

Shirou coughed and stood up slowly. "Dammit OS…I can't have _one_ situation resolved peacefully. Not _one_ situation where something goes my way?"

"Nope!" Responded the weapon.

"Rhetorical question."

"Well?" Demanded the enraged rosette.

"If I apolo-"

"The time for words is past mage! Draw your weapon or I will attack you while weaponless."

Shirou gave a sigh filled to the brim with hopelessness. He began his incantation, for once having the time to do his entire incantation rather than shortening it by necessity, easing the strain on his circuits and sword.

"Prism Trace: Blade Master. Downloading memory, understanding basic growth, expanding history, comprehending organic skills, orchestrating expertise, empathizing personality, synchronizing…Engage!" With a flash of multicolored light, Shirou's outfit once more chanced to that of the Blade Master template. Steel toed black boots, black pants secured against his legs by leather belts, and a blue shirt with gold trimming and a white undershirt.

In his right hand he held Caliburn The Golden Sword of Assured Victory. The weapon of the one who inspired the Emiya Shirou of the template to the point of obsessing over the art of the sword.

Signum did not waste a second once her opponent summoned his armaments. She shot towards him with the speed of a bullet, the sound of steel striking steel reverberating thought the dead streets.

Signum moved like a whirlwind, the sword wielded as if it were an extension of her body. Every feint seeking to create an opening, every block combined with a counter attack, every strike precisely calculated to bring her victory.

She concentrated all of her attacks on his legs or midsection, never once attacking the head or neck. Not giving her opponent the opportunity to deflect her sword up and counter attack before, she managed to plug the hole in her defenses.

Signum fought with a quiet fury, channeling her anger into her sword; her opponent however, was different. If Signum's sword was an extension of her body, his body was an extension of his sword. It felt almost as if he had removed himself from the equation, becoming the perfect tool for the sword to reach victory, rather than using the sword to take victory from her.

He moved with the absolute precision of a master, Signum never once managed to make him block. He would dodge and parry, but never once did he enter a contest of strength, choosing instead to direct the force of her strikes to the sides, up, or down to the ground. Never once making an attack of his own; always falling back, giving ground in an ever widening circle.

Signum backed away and made some space between the two of them; their breathing barely disturbed, as if they had been taking a relaxing stroll.

Their exchange had been nothing more than a test, for the two of them had held back. Each tested the other's strength and skill. To see how much they would need to hold back in order to not permanently harm the other in their pursuit of victory.

At that moment, they both realized that what stood against them was likely an equal. Someone against whom they would not need to hold back their considerable strength.

Blue eyes stared into golden, and a silent promise was made.

They both charged at the same time, their war cries resounding from their throats, the ring of steel against steel shaking the foundations of the decrepit buildings around them.

Had there been an audience, it would have stood enraptured by the display in front of them. Every attack led unto another, every parry a testament to their resolve; every dodge a show of disdain, as if denouncing that such an attack would never touch them. It seemed almost as if they were dancing, the lead being exchanged from one to the other flawlessly. The ring of steel striking steel the only melody either would ever truly accept.

In an attempt to break the deadlock, Signum waited until her opponent made to attack her midsection, and soared over his strike. Spinning once in the air in order to add torque to her strike as she brought Laevatein to bear, focusing all of her weight unto the weapon as she swung it down unto her opponent's shoulder.

Shirou for his own part, dropped to a crouch and brought Caliburn up to parry her strike, placing the two of them on a deadlock. Signum pushing down with all her weight and the help of gravity; Shirou pushing back against her with his physical strength and boundless determination.

Their deadlock was broken when Shirou turned his body into a spring, and concentrated all of his strength unto pushing back the Blazing General, sending her cartweeling into the sky. The two of them took a moment to catch their breath and calm their raging hearts.

"Come now." Taunted Signum, "Will you not bring the battle to the heavens?"

Shirou smirked at her, "My feet shall remain firmly planted upon the ground, of this I assure you." He then hefted his beautifully crafted weapon, and set it across his body in a defensive stance.

Signum frowned, _'So he thinks to give me a handicap does he? I shall need to show him the mistake of his ways.'_ Thought the blazing general with a smirk adorning her lips.

She flashed down, descending upon her opponent like a comet, their swords coming into conflict but for an instant before she was too far away for him to retaliate. She repeated this countless times, changing the angle of her attack each time, sometimes feinting and attacking from an unexpected angle.

But never once was she able to break his guard, it was as if his weapon unerringly told him from whence her next attack would come. He attempted to retaliate several times, but at every instance she was simply too far away for him to reach her, his blade only managing to bite into the armored skirt of her barrier jacket.

"Do you still refuse to take to the skies?" She once more taunted her opponent.

Shirou looked her in the eye, then gave her a shit-eating grin. "Well, the view from down here is so lovely I find myself reluctant!"

Signum wondered for a moment what he meant, when she realized that her armored skirt was torn in places and her legs were in full display. The realization crashed through the screen set in place by adrenaline, her blush would have been quite evident had her blood not already been far beyond boiling.

Judging by her opponents chuckles, he most certainly noticed her momentary lapse in composure.

She slowly held her sword in front of her, drawing her scabbard as she did so. Bringing the pommel and top of the blade and sheath together, they molded themselves into a longbow tailored _just_ for her. The bow then strung itself with a tight weave of humming prana.

She pulled back on the string, energy coalescing into a luminous projectile. The smirk Shirou had managed to remove earlier once more gracing her lips.

"I forgot to ask, what is your name?" She called down to her opponent, who kept his eyes upon her like a hawk tracking its prey.

"Shirou." Called the slider back up at her.

The grin on her face, impossible as it should be, grew. "Well Shirou, I have a gift for you!" With that she released the projectile, allowing it to soar toward her target's chest. She did not wait to see if her shot would hit. Instead, drawing forth another arrow and prepared to fire.

Shirou dodged the first arrow with relative ease. He then had to bend his upper body into a _very_ uncomfortable position in order to evade the second, finishing up with a backwards roll to evade the third. The fourth was parried as he lay on the ground.

"Now that's just cheating!" He called up to Signum who currently ruled the skies.

"All is fair in love and war!" She taunted back at him.

Shirou got his legs under him and sprinted into the buildings. He would need cover. "Then you should get married and do both on a daily basis!"

The only response he received was an arrow impacting right next to where his head had been but a moment before.

"Where are you running to, coward!" Called Signum in a light voice, her smile evident in her tone and lips.

"Cover is an essential part of warfare!"

With that he jumped into one of the crumbling buildings. Signum continued her bombardment whenever she caught a glimpse of her opponent, whom she realized was climbing the floors of the building.

Shirou needed to switch tactics. "Prism Trace! Dismiss current template, speed process of synchronization, exchange Blade Master for Assassin! Engage!"

Once more, after a kaleidoscopic flash of light (which incidentally caused Signum to fire with greater accuracy unto his position), Shirou's outfit had once more changed. He was wearing a jacket and sturdy pants with combat boots, colored with a digital camouflage perfect for urban conditions, a cowl rising form the back of his jacket to cover his head and obscure his face.

He had called upon the Assassin's hidden blades before, but seldom would he call upon the template.

The template came from an Emiya Shirou raised by the Fujimura's, who were an ancient order of Assassins based within Japan. While he was not born into it as was the normal requirement, he was allowed to enter training at a late age, and excelled in every art of the Assassin.

It was those skills which he would need to call upon now. Shirou ran towards one of the many holes in the wall, and fearlessly jumped out of it, plummeting a full two stories before reaching the adjacent building. The distance however, proved to be too much, and his fingers were half a foot away from reaching the edge of the window he had been aiming for.

Shirou quickly ejected the hook blade beneath his right forearm and drove it unto the handhold he had been hoping to reach, quickly kicking off from the wall and jumping into the building as an arrow smacked the place his chest had vacated moments before.

Signum sent two more shots into the building to chase her newfound opponent, when she realized she had completely lost sight of him. She floated near the building, waiting to see if he would try anything.

She caught a small glint off the corner of her eye and immediately ducked down, using gravity to help her evade the two small knives that sailed through the place her chest had been a mere second before. He had chosen to attack her from the shadows. She realized the danger she was in and brought the haft of Laevatein's bow form to bear, blocking two more knives that had been thrown. He'd predicted her evasion pattern.

She quickly pulled back the string, charged the arrow with more of her magical energy and let fly. A small explosion greeted her ears a moment later. However, she could see that she had missed her mark. Shirou had melted back into the rubble in the tall building, becoming just another shadow. Signum began to circle the building, keeping as much of it in view as possible to limit her opponent's ability to escape into another structure.

'_So.'_ Thought Signum. _'A master swordsman and an adept commando, just what is someone like that doing here?'_

Signum smirked when she realized she had been neglecting her duties by indulging in this duel. Yet she could not help the fierce smile that curved her lips. It was not often that one such as her found a worthy match to test herself against.

She could only hope Hayate would be understanding. Perhaps she should buy a cake and bring it home as a preemptive apology?

As she circled the building, she once more caught a glint from the corner of her eye. A shadow stood on a building to her nine o' clock. Signum immediately pushed the petal to the metal and accelerated across the skies like a bullet.

A loud crack echoed across the dead buildings, a projectile crossing the space she had inhabited a moment before. Rather than attempt to fire again, Shirou turned and ran off the edge of the building, pulling himself into what looked like a collapsing parking lot and did what he could to disappear.

The Blazing General did not see fit to allow this. Thus she crashed through the rubble of the edifice using all the delicacy of an artillery round.

The shockwave caused Shirou to stumble and he immediately drew his knife to parry Laevatein's blade. Signum had dismissed her weapon's bow-form and once more indulged in her preferred facet of warfare.

Signum noticed that her opponent's movements had changed. It seemed that she was fighting a completely different person. Whereas before it had seemed like Shirou was a mere instrument for his sword. Now his movements were utilitarian, using his combat blade to turn her strikes away so that they would not cause damage, but visibly struggling to keep up.

Signum smirked. It would seem that when he donned this barrier jacket he sacrificed offensive capability for stealth.

Shirou knew that he could not keep up with her pace, sooner or later he would trip, or he would mess up, and it would be over. So Shirou did something that would make Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg proud.

He cheated.

He reached unto one of his belt pouches and pulled out a metallic cylinder. He activated the primer and dropped it to the floor. The chemicals inside the cylinder mixed and it began to spin, releasing a thick cloud of dark smoke.

Signum saw this and drove forth in hopes of overwhelming her opponent before he had a chance to escape. However, all Laevatein met was a pillar. Shirou had simply become just another shadow in the smoke.

Signum began to levitate as she tried to decide what direction her opponent had fled. The sound of a rock falling on the floor above her gave her a clue. She quickly shot through the decaying ceiling and brandished Laevatein, waiting for the attack that would inevitably come.

Signum was correct in her belief that an attack would come. But for once, she failed to anticipate its direction. From the moment she chose to take to the air, Signum had controlled the skies. Her opponents proclamation that his feet would remain firmly rooted to the ground had reinforced her belief.

However if there is one thing the order of Assassins knew, is that most people searching for a threat, did not look up. Shirou dropped from the pipe that had served as his foothold. Taking extreme care not to eject either of the blades under his forearms, he barreled into Signum's back, concentrating all of his weight unto a single point. He quickly wrapped his legs around her torso, barely managing to lock her sword arm in place.

Shirou attempted to wrap his arms around Signum's neck in a choke, but she was able to duck her chin and put her off-hand in the way, ensuring Shirou would not be able to knock her out.

They grappled in mid air for a few moments, until Signum decided to speak, the strain of combating Shirou's attempts to knock her out evident in her voice. "I thought…that you would stay…in the ground." She said while panting.

When Shirou spoke, his own voice was just as strained as the Blazing General's, "All…is fair…in love and war."

The two of them smiled fiercely at his declaration. Shirou in acknowledgement of her skill, which necessitated the use of underhanded tactics, and Signum in triumph for forcing him to admit that.

"Well," Said Signum. "Hold on tight!" With that the grip of her off hand changed from defensive, to possessive. Shirou would not have been able to let go of her had he wanted to.

The moment the two of them broke through the ceiling and soared off into the skies, he really, _really_ wished he had planned this out better.

Signum soared until she passed the clouds, she had deduced that the reason her opponent refused to take to the skies, was that he would be at a severe enough disadvantage that it would be better for him to remain in the ground and force her to come to him.

Now that they were in the skies, the Burning General was sure she would have a severe enough advantage that victory would be hers. Had her elation been somewhat smaller, she would have realized that the grip of her opponent had changed. Whereas before he had been grappling in an attempt to lock her limbs and knock her out, now the strength of his grip was in place to ensure he would not fall.

Unfortunately, her smug feelings ensured that she did not realize the panic with which her opponent was holding unto her.

"Well now, let's see which of us is truly the greater!"

"H-H-Hey Signum, w-w-wait up! There's something I-I n-n-need t-to tell yo-!"

Signum did not waste a single moment more, and began to spin like a top, Shirou redoubled his grip on her praying to the Kaleidoscope, Alaya the uncaring bitch, and whatever gods where out there for help, in his desperation he considered praying to the Root of existence, but decided against it, the idea was ludicrous and probably only originated from his panic.

Signum's sudden stop caused his grip to fail. In desperation, Shirou ejected the hook-blade beneath his right forearm and caught her belt in hopes of arresting his movement.

Her belt tore, tearing the armored skirt right off along with part of her dress, causing Shirou to a) Receive a _very_ clear view of her underwear, boyshorts. Perfect underwear in fact, to allow freedom of movement. However, when combined with her athletic figure, they made for a very arousing picture. But… _pink_ boyshorts? b) More(?) importantly, this caused Shirou to be dislodged from the one thing keeping him from gravity's merciless clutches.

"FFUUUUUUUUUU…" Was Shirou's quite eloquent response to his precarious situation.

"Y-You pervert!" Screamed a red-raced Signum to the falling figure.

Had Shirou not been busy panicking he might have felt more apologetic. "OS! Cancel Prism Trace!" With a multicolored flash, Shirou was back to his regular outfit, the jewel sword sheathed at his hip.

"Wow boss! Didn't know you liked to sky dive!" Said OS with an infinite cheer in his voice.

"THAT'S NOT WHAT'S GOING ON AND YOU KNOW IT!"

"Ouch! Alright alright! You don't have to yell at me!" Whined the prismatic sword.

"SHUT UP AND TRACE SOMEONE THAT CAN FLY!"

"Umm…but boss, humans can't fly."

"I DON'T CARE, _**FIND SOMEONE!**_" Shirou took a deep breath, panic would not help him.

"OS! Use two jewels to speed the search! Find me an alternate that could fly, and synchronize with it! Otherwise the two of us will just be paint on the walls!"

"Well," Said the weapon. "Technically _you_ will be paint on a wall, I'll just be solid material scattered arou-"

"SHUT UP AND TRACE YOU IDIOT!"

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Signum followed her opponent down, wondering why he was taking so long to deploy his flight spell. If he was attempting to open some distance between them in order to have more maneuverability, he would do well to activate his flight spell to have greater control.

Then something in her mind 'clicked'. The reason he had refused to leave the ground, the way that his grip tightened once she began ascending, the look of desperation on his face as he grabbed her belt.

Her newfound opponent could not fly.

This realization made her dismiss all thoughts of modesty and rush down like a bullet. Attempting to close the distance with her tumbling foe, if she was lucky she would be able to catch him right before he impacted the ground.

The fact that the added mass would likely cause _her_ to meet the ground at an even greater speed never once crossed her mind.

The tops of the buildings, which had seemed little more than dots from the height they'd been at, were becoming much larger. She was close, no more than eight feet separated the two of them when she heard him shout.

"Engage!"

A multicolored flash of light later, he was soaring back into the skies. As the kaleidoscope of light diminished Signum could finally see him, the sight forcing her to pause mid-flight.

The young man's appearance had changed: His feet were encased in boots of dark steel and his lower legs covered in shaggy black pants. His kneecaps and his sides were now protected by gold-tinted armor: the same material which had been embroidered onto the mantle that covered most of his lower body, folded over the large belt that bound the cape to his midriff.

A horrible feeling of deja-vu took hold of her as the transformation continued without pause.

White and black fabrics materialized as the barrier jacket was spun, the white sleeves of the jacket adorned with the same symbol as the one that had now found its way on the shirt covering his chest:

The cross of the northern sky.

Signum refused to believe her eyes as the young man's hair turned a silvery gray while large, gold-tinted gauntlets covered his fingers. Great blades of purplish metal gleaming with power appearing in his armored hands, which now bore the marks of the cross engraved on their backs.

It was the sight of a single black feather floating right in front of her eyes that shook Signum out of her stupor.

Six magnificent black wings unfolded behind the boy's back as they covered the area in countless black feathers. Her opponent calmly floated in the air, easily held aloft by the projections that now granted him flight as he looked down on her with his red-tinted eyes.

"Rein..."

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That be the end of the first part of this two parter.

More thanks than I can properly give go to The Lord fraggle, snippeter extraordinare, for allowing me to reference his works. Rest assured good sir, I shall do everything in my power to do your gift justice. (and I'll run it by you before I post it to make sure I did :P)

Reader, if you have not read the fanfic "Fate/Night Sky" allow me to strongly encourage you to do so, it is an incredible piece of work.

Everyone else! Gimme a comment! Tell me how I did! Please!

...that is all.


	8. The Stages of Griefand Cheesecake

Wellp, I am back with another chappie.

Obligatory disclaimer: I own neither Fate Stay Night, nor do I own MGLN...or maybe I _do_? _***TUUUNUUNUUU~ TUUUNUNU! TUNUNUUUU!***_

Kudos to Old_Iron for Betaing, it is thanks to him you guys get something readable.

Daneel...if you read this, man...Bro!Vita is possibly the _best_ thing to ever happen in the history of _ever_. xD

Right after cheesecake.

Once more, many thanks go to the lord fraggle for allowing me to reference his works. I can only hope I did them justice.

With that said.

On With The Show!

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"Rein…"

_It could not be._

_Reinforce Eins died nine years ago, sacrificing herself to forever vanquish the darkness from the Book of the Night Sky__._

_There was no way that-_

'_**My will shall live on in the knights and your magic.'**_

_-this could be happening._

_She had moved on, she had put this behind her, Reinforce could never have had a different Master, there was no way that the young man in front of her was unisoned with the long-dead Master Program._

As Signum was frozen in shock, the figure descended to her level slowly, giving a slow beat of his wings. Once he was in front of her, he just looked at her, studying her features, her eyes, her state of dress.

Then he did the only thing that could make the situation worse.

He smiled.

_Signum recognized that smile immediately. Nine years had passed and she still remembered that day as if it had happened mere moments ago. Reinforce's quiet smile as she said her goodbyes, assured everyone that it was the only way._

_Signum had simply stood there, too powerless to do anything wishing-_

'_**I will always be at your side.'**_

_-with all her being that things could be different, that it should not be brought to pass._

The young man shifted his grip on his blades, freeing one hand and stretching it out slowly towards Signum's face. The hand hesitated, seeming afraid to touch the skin before it. It was as if he were afraid she would burn him, or he would burn her. The hand finally settling on her cheek with the lightest possible touch, gentle as though the slightest amount of force would be enough to break her. When she did not pull back, the smile on his face widened. The purest of joys were plainly evident on his features.

_Warm._

The hand was warm. The young man's scarred and calloused hand had settled upon her cheek with a touch lighter than a feather. Warmth flowing from his palm unto her cheek. The simple widening of his lips. The look of innocent joy. The sorrow hidden in his features even though joy shone from his eyes like a sun.

Signum's vision became hazy. She realized that tears were flowing from her eyes. Without a single doubt, this was Reinforce.

But such a thing was impossible, Reinforce Eins was dead. The young man, Shirou, must be playing a trick on her. He must have found some way to imitate the effect. He had shown his ability to change outfits at will, what was to say that he did not have a way to trick her with such a thing?

Signum's hands slowly, almost imperceptivity, tightened into fists, the strength of her grip causing her knuckles to pop.

'_How __**dare**__ he?' _Was the only thought going through the Blazing General's head.

The young man noticed her change in expression. The delight that had shone from his face dimming, causing Signum a stab of pain for knowing she had been the cause which drove joy from those features.

Her guilt was fed into the rising fire that was her anger.

'_**So don't worry, I will depart smiling.'**_

Those seven words acted as the catalyst. Seven simple, heartfelt words became the straw that tipped the balance. The drop of water that broke the dam.

She slapped his hand off of her check, her entire body trembling in rage.

"How…_How __**dare**__ you!_"

Shirou fell back with a beat of his wings, his face forming a mask.

"_**How dare you!" **_Signum's fury was such, that the normally articulate knight was reduced to a three word vocabulary.

"_**HOW DARE YOU!" **_With the third repetition of her cry, Signum charged, bringing Laevatein to bear in a two handed strike that lacked a single ounce of her usual grace.

An attack that was easily blocked by the blades in Shirou's hands, placing them in a deadlock. Signum pushed forward with all her strength, fury lending her energy she would otherwise not have, and sent the young man cartwheeling across the sky.

With a wordless scream her sword changed into a long razor sharp whip and attacked again, its serpentine movements seeking the head of her foe.

With a beat of his wings he easily evaded the strike. However, the trap soon became evident to him, Signum's attack had been a feint, she sought to entrap him in a cage of steel.

Shirou beat his wings once, several feathers removing themselves from his wings and exploding in black colored bursts. The shockwave propelled him forward while pushing back the serpentine blade just long enough for him to slip through before it could entrap him.

With another burst of energy he accelerated across the skies, the Blazing general hot on his heels. She once more brandished her weapon, its serpentine edge covered in a layer of flame.

"Fliegenden Drachen Blitz!" Screamed Signum as she launched her attack, causing her enemy to once more detonate an array of feathery chaff to get away.

However, Signum had foreseen this, and with a twist of her wrist brought Laevatein's extended blade around so that it would bite into his shoulder. Her attack made all the worse by her foe's momentum which carried him into the blade, causing it to draw blood and sear his flesh.

If he was pained by the damage the hot steel caused him, he did not show it. He merely batted aside the blade as it sought to encircle him and attempted to accelerate past her reach. Something Signum would not allow.

Their game of cat and mouse continued for several more minutes, Signum managing to singe his barrier jacket or cut his skin a few more times. Yet the figure seemed reluctant to strike back, seeking only to retreat.

Retreat was not allowed before the Blazing General, not now. She would make him _pay_ for defiling the memory of Reinforce.

Timing her movement with great skill, Signum forced him to evade her weapon's serpentine tip in such a way so as to leave him open. She then snapped Laevatein back into its standard bladed form and burned a cartridge of stored magic. The weapon's blade was engulfed in a blaze that could melt through steel.

"Lilac, Blitz!" Screamed the Blazing General as she flashed forward and brought her sword down unto her opponent, who barely managed to bring his purple swords to bear against her strike. The heat of the flames scorched his clothing and further damaged it. The power behind the strike numbed Signum's arms up to her elbow, and sent her opponent plummeting to the ground. Her foe only barely managed to regain his balance before impacting the wall of a building.

Even separated by a great distance, their eyes met, and her foe did something which caused a shiver of fear to travel down her spine.

He frowned.

With another black burst, as she had begun to call the maneuver, Shirou accelerated across the skies. Signum wasted no time in pulling into hot pursuit once again.

What was different this time, was that he turned in mid-flight so that he could face her, throwing his arms to the sides his lips formed two words. The words causing a wall of blades to appear behind him.

For the first time sense she renewed her attack, Signum heard her opponent speak.

"Trigger off, all rounds fire!" The blades shot towards her in a wall of steel. Evading it all together would allow Shirou to open up too great a distance between them. Rather than allow this, the Knight of the Blade chose to barrel through the onslaught, dodging the swords she could and using Laevatein to beat aside the ones which would cause her serious harm.

She could see her opponent wince every time one of the weapons inflicted a wound upon her armor or flesh. The worry he showed for her only managed to enrage her further.

Signum sought to close the gap between them and her foe simply raised his hand again in reply. "Bultiger Dolch" Nine red knives that resembled Japanese kunai appeared around his hand before rushing forth at Signum. She was forced to pause and knock them aside lest she be impaled by them.

However each time she beat them aside, they would just come back in an attempt to imbed themselves in her flesh. Signum increased the force of her strikes, causing the blood red weapons to shatter one at a time as they met Laevatein's edge.

Shirou did not stand idle while this happened. "Trace on." Nine blades appeared behind him. "Trigger off." Every last one of the conjured swords aimed itself at Signum. When she saw this, she re-doubled her efforts at finishing the last three of the blood daggers her enemy had fired earlier.

"Individual shots, imbue spell."

At last Singum destroyed the last of the daggers and began to close the distance with a wordless cry. With luck she would strike him before he finished the spell.

Lady luck was not on her side. "Semi automatic fire, Bultiger Kugel." The wall of steel floating behind Shirou took on a blood red tint, giving the illusion they were already covered in the precious life fluid. "Fire!"

At his behest, the nine swords shot forth one after another. Signum was forced to abandon her charge lest she be skewered outright. She dodged the first three of the weapons, was forced to parry the fourth through the eighth, and the ninth rebounded from the plating of her armor.

She was about to resume her attack when she caught a red glint in the corner of her vision and immediately performed a barrel roll without pausing to think. Four blood red swords passing through the space she had occupied a moment before. He'd imbued the weapons with the same tracking spell. But unlike the daggers, the sheer mass of the swords ensured she would not have an easy time breaking them.

Had Signum been less emotionally distraught, she would have realized her enemy was holding back considerably. While she was distracted, he refused to take any of the openings that his distraction caused. Instead of swarming her with endless waves of seeking blades, he sent them one wave at a time so that she would not be overwhelmed.

It was obvious that he did not want to harm her.

But the red haze across her vision demanded retribution.

Had she been thinking more clearly, she would have made the weapons clamber into one another as they sought her flesh. She would have noted how long it took for a projectile that missed to right itself and seek her anew. Alas, the vicious fury which had taken control of her blood made such a thing impossible.

Signum dodged the swords as they got close to her, attempting to close in with her foe so that he would need to dismiss them or be struck by them along with her. But he was too nimble. She could not close the distance between them while needing to worry about the swords that sought to spill her blood.

Signum performed several complicated maneuvers, manipulating the seeking projectiles so that they would converge upon her at the same time. Wordlessly she flicked her wrist, turning her weapon into a whip, its edge a luminous scarlet. The heat of the blade, so intense as to warp the light around it, made the air dance and sway like a captivating mirage.

The nine blades accelerated towards her furiously, the scream of steel cutting air announcing their intent. _"Sturmwinde!" _screamed Signum as she spun her weapon around her body, encasing herself in a tornado of fire and steel.

Her whip cut through the nine blades with the ease of a hot knife through butter. The roar of the incandescent flames drowning out the sound of breaking glass the weapons produced upon their demise.

She snapped her weapon back into its sword form and once more sought to close the distance between them, causing the figure to continue his frantic retreat.

"Bogenform!" Screamed her foe as he flew.

In a single fluid motion the stranger brought his hands together, and with a click the two blades locked into one another. The sturdy gauntlets he wore melted from his hands as the gold flowed over the swords, the weapons reforming themselves to accommodate their new purpose.

In moments the two swords were gone and a dark purple bow had replaced them, the golden material reinforcing the tops and the center. Signum barely took note of the silver strand stringing the weapon, as thin as a hair, yet humming with power streaming from one end of the bow to the other.

For a single moment she wondered why he had suddenly switched to a bow-form. He had needed no aid to fire swords and spells from midair.

An enormous projectile, easily as long as the young man was tall appeared in his hand. It looked for all the world like an enormous corkscrew. He wordlessly nocked the unwieldy projectile. It fit the bow perfectly.

"Blessing of Thor, gather in my hand,"

A Belkan magic circle sprouted form under his feet as he began his chant.

"Empower my aim, empower my strike,"

Signum instinctively knew she would not be able to dodge this attack. She raised the strongest barrier she could conjure as lightning gathered at the projectile that had appeared on the stranger's bow, hoping against all hope it would be enough.

The boy slowly pulled the string back, a feat made possible only through incredible strength. Even with the distance separating them, she could hear the creak of the unnatural bow as it was put under stress. It echoed over the sound of electricity coursing through the heavens.

"Strike without fail, at lightning's speed,"

The arrow sung with power as electricity coursed trough the projectile.

He aimed at her.

"Fly! Mjölnir!"

Lightning struck Signum as it tore her shield, barrier jacket, and clothing, to shreds.

Not even an instant after that, a tremendous explosion flung her farther off the ground in the direction of her foe. Behind her, lines of lighting caused a chaotic electric storm to course through the streets of the abandoned metropolis. The arcs of electricity expanding beyond the horizon as the power was driven away from the point of impact.

He'd missed.

No, he had not missed. He'd purposefully aimed away from her so that she would merely be grazed by the attack. The sheer destructive energy behind it, even in a lightly glancing blow, had been more than enough to obliterate the best defense she could conjure.

She used the power of the explosion still accelerating her frame to her benefit, using it as a propelling force to finally close the distance between the two of them. Screaming she brought Laevatein around in an arc, seeking to split her enemy in two at the waist.

An attack that was easily blocked by the enormous bow held in his left hand. But that had been enough, Signum took advantage of her new proximity to wrap her arms around her foe, and concentrate all of her momentum downwards. The change in direction forced the two of them to plummet to the ground at an ever increasing speed.

Her foe struggled with her, attempting to make her let go. But she locked her arms and legs around him as best she was able and still maintain her grip on Laevatein. He would fall by her hand, she'd make sure of this.

When they were but a few scant meters off the ground, he wrapped his arms around her and flared his wings, countless black feathers stiffening and shooting to the ground where they exploded into black bursts.

He impacted the ground a moment later, the shockwaves of the controlled explosions having slowed his decent enough so the collision would not be lethal.

Shirou's landing still caused a several meter deep crater. His body wrapped protectively around Signum's.

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Signum's mind was groggy, her ears were ringing and she could not tell which way was up.

She could only feel great warmth wrapped around her, a pair of strong arms holding her against a solid chest, soft feathers covering her exposed back.

She slowly opened her eyes, two deep maroon pools stared back at her. She tried to gasp, but realized that upon impact she had ended up with her lips locked to her foes.

They were warm and soft. Tasting of steel, blood, and salt. A taste she imagined was shared by her own. The shock of her position breaking through the red haze that had taken control of her mind.

He'd protected her, even though she had done her very best to kill him.

The two of them simply lay there for a few moments, until Signum attempted to sit up. Shirou immediately let go, laying both his arms and wings on the ground, allowing her to straddle him while supporting her weight on his chest.

The two of them sat there for a few moments, their breath's heaving as they attempted to calm their raging hearts, trying to come down from the adrenaline high.

At that precise moment, Yagami Hayate, Master of the Tome of the Night Sky and Lieutenant Colonel of the Capital Defense Corps, stepped over the edge of the crater and took in the sight of her beleaguered knight.

Her eyes noting Signum's state of dress…or lack thereof…in particular.

The shit-eating grin on her face showing she had drawn entirely incorrect(?) assumptions from the presented evidence.

"Weeeell~, what do we have here Signum-chwaaan?" Dawdled the walking Lost Logia.

Signum's fiery blush was so bright it could be confused with a sunset. "H-H-Hayate! This is not what it looks like!" Said the Knight of the Blade as she immediately shot to her feet and attempted to hide her nearly exposed bosom.

Hayate did not walk, did not prance, she _swaggered_, down into the crater. Her eyes glued to the pink haired knight.

"And here I was oh so very worried that my beloved Signum-chwaaan was overworking herself again in training~" Said Hayate in a tone two steps removed from leering. Her sadistic side ensuring the pink haired knight would be teased for this relentlessly. "I wouldn't have expected you to go off on a lovely, steamy date with a gentleman without telling me~"

Impossible as that should be, Hayate's every word caused the pink haired knight's blush to intensify. "N-No! You Misunderstand Hayate! That is not at all wha-!" At this precise moment, she felt the figure behind her stir and stand, which caused her face to pale, this was certain to not end well.

Shirou stood to his full height, the six magnificent black wings on his back expanding to display their full glory, and met the eyes of the Mistress of the Tome of the Night Sky.

Hayate Yagami froze.

The two of them stared into each other's eyes, the tension in the air palpable and brittle. Signum remained motionless, afraid that any movement would tip the balance and cause the situation to worsen.

Hayate's eyes filled with tears, she suppressed a sob as she reached out with a trembling hand, seeking to confirm that what stood in front of her was not some mirage. Afraid that what she saw was an illusion, yet terrified that it was real.

The figure stepped back before the hand could reach him, causing the sob she'd tried so hard to suppress to wrench itself from her chest. "Rein…force?" Said Hayate, her trembling voice filled with emotion.

She looked for any of the warmth she remembered on the apparition's eyes. Warmth she failed to find. All she saw in those red orbs was a cold calculating caution. Immediate recognition tempered with weariness, hoping for peace but expecting war.

Her body began to tremble all over, her knees shaking too hard to hold up her weight. Signum caught her with a cry as she began to collapse to the floor, unable to tear her eyes away from the figure.

"Reinforce?" Came her call, her voice so soft it resembled a kitten seeking recognition from its mother.

The figure's only response was to study the two kneeling women, before it shot to the skies with a beat of its wings, quickly becoming a speck in the distance and leaving only a few black feathers. Each of which slowly floated to the ground before crumbling to black ash.

Hayate Yagami buried her face in her knight's chest and wept.

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Sometime later, Shirou was haphazardly flying into a back alley of a great metropolis. His wings were pale imitations of what they had been mere hours before. He quickly descended at a pace that would at best be called 'hazardous'. A speed that a less generous person might call 'suicidal'.

When he was a story above ground, there was a kaleidoscopic flash of light and Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg fell the rest of the distance to the floor, rolling to disperse his momentum upon impact.

The moment his tumble stopped, he shot to his feet, ran to the nearest trashcan, and proceeded to empty his stomach.

"OS!" He called in a trembling voice in between pants. _"What the hell was that?"_

The sapient sword remained quiet for a few moments before speaking, its voice unusually solemn. "The template and you were too similar Shirou," Said the prismatic weapon, forgoing his preferred light hearted title. "You synchronized perfectly. But that trace was not one mind it was two. And both personalities working together overrode your control of the template."

Shirou's answer came without hesitation. "Lock away that Prism Trace OS, it's too dangerous."

"Yes sir." Said the jeweled sword gravely.

Shirou remained near the trashcan for a few moments more before righting himself.

"OS, how many jewels did that template use?"

The weapon remained quiet for a few moments before speaking. "A total of four, half of one went into the search of the template, the rest of the original two you told me to expend went into the template itself.

"Its last attack was something else though; it couldn't complete it with your Odic reserves, so it used two of the jewels to compensate."

Shirou ran his hands through his head. At least he could remember the events that took place during the Trace, unlike that time he used the-

Immediately cutting off that line of thought, Shirou set off at a brisk pace. He'd need to replenish his Od as quickly as possible. "They'll be looking for me. OS how much time did the Traces add to the Slide counter?"

"Well, the first two you used, Blade Master and Assassin, they only added a total of four hours. But that last one, boss, that last one was something else, it would normally add a total of thirty six hours to the time.

"But I gotta tell ya, this 'verse is loaded. The last 'verse we were at had an unusually abundant mana concentration in the air, but it looks like a desert compared to here. I can't easily quantify the amount of freely floating energy.

"With this much free-floating mana we should be able to move on in twenty four hours."

Shirou frowned, he wanted to move on as soon as possible, but it would be a shame to waste so much free energy. "How long would it take to fill up five jewels?"

"With local concentration? I'd say about twenty hours give or take."

The information caused Shirou to frown. Once the process was begun, it could not be halted. However, this particular city ensured he could fill up a jewel in about a third the regular time. It was truly an enticing proposition.

Nodding, he made his decision. "Make it so OS. Fill up five jewels. No matter how you cut it, I should be able to hide for two days in a city this big."

"Aye aye boss."

His decision made, Shirou began to look for a place where he could exchange currency. He felt like he could eat a whole horse.

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Vita Yagami was not having the best of days.

First she needed to skip lunch because Nanoha was running the recruits ragged.

When she finally got home, she was greeted by a lightly wounded, scantily clad Signum and a weeping Hayate. When she got the story of what happened from Signum, she completely lost her appetite. Suffice it to say she did not get dinner or much sleep that night.

The next morning, Hayate had not gotten over what had happened and she had to deal with a worried Nantoka and Fate as a result. When they demanded to know what was going on, it took the whole of the Wolkenritter to convince them that this was _their_ problem. Though they had asked the two Aces to help Shamal take care of Hayate.

By the time she remembered she'd had no breakfast, she was halfway to the training area in which Signum had fought this 'Shirou'.

They'd proceeded to track his magical signature, which strangely enough matched that of the Book of the Night Sky almost perfectly, to an alley. There it literally vanished completely a full story above ground.

Shortly after they decided to split up and search, she'd had the _great _fortune of finding someone's lunch in a trashcan.

And now she stood in front of a hotdog stand, looking at the delicious promise it offered as if they somehow held the key to the pearly gates themselves.

And with all the stress of the previous night and morning she had forgotten her wallet.

'_I swear.'_ Thought the spitfire. _'When I get my hands on this 'Shirou' I am going to make him __**pay**__!'_ The fact that this figure was only guilty of part of her suffering never once crossed her mind.

As she stared at the pieces of meaty heaven wrapped in a delicious bun, a tall man in a black trenchcoat stepped up to the hotdog stand and asked for three…_three!_ Three hotdogs all for himself!

The fact that she was hungry enough to do the same also failed to cross her mind.

The figure stepped back and bit into one of the hotdogs, judging by his reaction and overall wiggling he had just bitten into a piece of solid ambrosia.

"_Ohh Mein Gott!"_ Said the man. "It is as if I am biting into knowledge itself, the meat and the bun melts perfectly in the mouth as one savors it!" With that he took another bite, descending again into wiggling perfection. "It's like solid ambrosia! Nirvana in a neatly wrapped package!"

His foodgasm continued for several more moments, Vita's glare, which had reached the point where it could melt through steel, rebounding off of his skin without having harmed him.

"_Ohhhh! Absolutely __**delicious!**__"_

Oh yes, die, die a slooooow, painful, death.

"_Hmmm! Mein Gott! _It is so heavenly you don't even notice when one is gone! My good sir I might have to buy more from you!"

Death was too good for him, _waaaay too good_. She would hang him up by his entrails, yes, by his entrails. And then tenderize him with Graf Eisen. She would show him the reason why she was called the Knight of the Iron Hammer!

"Ohh man, those three hotdogs were heavenly! Let me buy another three good sir!" Said this man with infinite cheer.

Another three! He was going to eat six! _Six!_

Being tenderized by Graf Eisen was too good for him! She'd hog tie him, cover him in honey, and drop him on an ant pile!

"Oh deaaar~" Dawdled the man. "It seems I have bought too much and won't be able to finish~"

Vita's ears perked up.

"But, to throw these delicious hotdogs away, it would be such a waste! If only someone was around who could help me resolve this manner!" He said while staring right at the drooling Vita.

Ohh no he wasn't! He most certainl-

"I do hope a hungry person steps up and relieves me of this burden." He said as he waved the two remaining hotdogs in a lazy pattern, Vita's eyes keeping track of the tasty treats like a starved wolf staring at a steak.

However, she remained quiet. She still had her pride dammit! She would not fall into the temptation of accepting such a thing from a stranger! No matter how hungry she was!

"Well~" Said the man with infinite misery in his voice. "It would seem that this piece of culinary perfection will need to be thrown out."

With that he walked over to Vita and pushed them at her.

"I can't be bothered to find a trashcan for those." He said while standing next to the aforementioned trashcan. "Could I bother you to help me out with that?" He said with a big smile on his face.

Vita remained quiet, a blush adorning her cheeks. She turned to the side, not meeting the stranger's golden eyes.

The young man simply smiled. "Well, I'll leave that to you." With that he began to walk away, his red mop easy to follow due to his above average height.

As Vita was surreptitiously taking a bite of one of the hotdogs, fighting her instinct to carve into it with the table manners of a starved wolf, she realized something and did a double take (barely avoiding a spit-take). She looked back to her unnamed benefactor with a calculating eye.

Signum had said that this 'Shirou' had red hair, golden eyes, was tall, and was an experienced combatant of different forms of fighting. Not only that, but apparently he could unison with the long dead Master Program.

Red hair, check.

Tall, check.

Golden eyes, check.

He matched the description. Yet somehow, she could not reconcile the image of this guy helping someone in need, with her mental image of whoever had made Hayate cry.

Taking her first bite of the second hotdog, Vita decided that this manner required further investigation.

Besides, if what Signum had said was true, she would not be able to take him on one on one anyways.

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Shirou was feeling pretty good about himself.

He'd had to go hungry in the past, never an experience he relished.

It did not help that she looked like a lonely, dejected, hungry little girl.

No Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg did not grow up wanting to have a little sister, no sir none at all. He also did not grow up wanting his old man to pay a little more attention to him, nor did he want a family.

…Shut up.

Anyways, suffice it to say that Shirou Zelretch Schwinorg was feeling pretty good about himself.

"Hey boss." Said OS, interrupting Shirou's self-appreciating thoughts. "I was scanning through that template's memories an-"

"Heeeey! Wait up!" Called a steady soprano.

Shirou turned, and saw the red headed girl whose meal he'd 'not' paid for.

Once she closed with him Shirou gave her a confused look. "Do you have business with me little lady?"

"Of course I do! I didn't get to thank you." Said the girl with an enormous smile on her face.

Shirou tilted his head. "Well…gratitude accepted, now if you'll excuse me." He said as he turned around.

The redheaded spitfire would have none of that. "What? Ain't even going to tell me your name? Some gentleman you are." She said with a smirk on her face.

Shirou blinked, while he could adapt quickly by necessity, he was not really the most social guy out in the multiverse. "Ehhmm…Right, Name's Zelretch Schwinorg, nice to meet you little lady." Said Shirou, finishing with a bow. Considering the circumstances of the day before, he thought it wise to keep his first name to himself.

"Zeltrech Schiuinorch?"

Shirou's eyebrow twitched. "Zelretch Schwinorg."

"Zednech Shiuinyorg!"

"Zelretch. Schwinorg."

"Oh, ok ok, I got it, I got it this time! Zelfep Chuuiniorg!" Said the girl while striking a pose.

The twitch on Shirou's eyebrow brought friends, they settled on his other eyebrow. **"Zel-re-tch! Sch-win-org!"**

"Zerurecchi Shubainoogu!"

"Dammit! Just call me Zel." Said Shirou as he planted his face on his palms.

"Ahh, shoulda just said so in the first place old man!" Said the redhead, her grin nearly splitting her face.

Shirou sighed, he wished people didn't have such a hard time with his name. "Didn't catch your name."

"That's cause I haven't given it to you silly."

Shirou grumbled something unintelligible while glaring at her with one eye. And boy was it a glare. He had practiced it in the mirror to make sure it had maximum impact.

A glare that glanced off her armor of snark without leaving a scratch. An opponent to be feared this little one was.

"Name's Vita. Now, would an upstanding gentleman such as yourself like to keep a damsel company for a while?"

"I'll be sure to as soon as I see a damsel."

Vita's eyebrow twitched. "Say again?" She said with an undercurrent of fury in her voice.

Shirou was not the most observant person when it came to the opposite sex. However, something in her tone, or perhaps her face, or maybe the corona of dark energy that would consume him if he did not retract his words, warned him that he was in grave danger.

He chose to keep his thoughts to himself, let it not be said that Shirou Zelretch Schwinorg had not learned from his travels in the multiverse.

"I said that if I see a lady I will be sure to keep her company, or perhaps I am wrong and what stands in front of me has the heart of a maiden hidden under armored plates of boyish charm?" Said his mouth without consulting him. Not a cool move mouth, not a cool move at all. He should stop synchronizing with the older templates, they tended to make him much snarkier than he usually was.

"Ooohhh boss…that's a low blow." Whispered OS to his partner. This made Shirou pause. If OS thought it had been too far, then clearly he should drop to the floor and beg for forgiveness.

The small spitfire shook with rage, before grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the nearest shopping district. The strength hidden in that tiny body almost dislocating his shoulder as she dragged him along.

"Just for that you are going to buy me some Takiyaki!"

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Shirou sat, unable to go on, unwilling to back down. He would not let it end like this. He would not let her win, not after all he had gone through.

Their battle had been long and hard. The lead being exchanged from one to the other at least once per skirmish. Their fight had drawn many witnesses, all of them amazed at the will of the combatants.

A few of the spectators were reduced to tears by the emotion displayed in the combat.

Shirou stared at Vita's eyes, and resolutely stretched out his hand and grabbed hold of his weapon, eliciting a gasp from the audience.

He then brought it up to his mouth, and resolutely took the last bite of the slice of cake he had been served, the crowd erupting into a roar of approval.

Vita smirked while holding her bloated stomach. Speech was a difficult task to complete because of all she had eaten, "Heh, I never would have thought…that a shrimp like you…would have lasted this long." She said with a pained smirk.

Shirou returned a smirk as fierce as hers. "And _I_ never would have thought…that a little thing like you…could eat three times her weight in sweets."

The crowd exploded into cheers once more at their banter.

One might wonder how they came to be in this situation. It is not every day that two people who look alike enough to be siblings walk into a cake shop and demand to be brought everything on the menu after all.

It all began shortly after Vita dragged the potential suspect/luckless idiot and forced him to treat her. What had surprised her more was that he was willing. He then told her he was just passing through and would appreciate someone to show him the sights.

Vita proceeded to do just that. And during her "investigation" she ended up having quite a lot of fun. The fact that he sometimes treated her as if she were a little girl or his little sister irritated her, but she was getting a ton of free food out of it so she could not complain.

Alas, the good times had not lasted long.

It had been a careless comment, something she thought he would agree with seeing as to they got along pretty well.

She had commented over the fact that cake was so good, it could not possibly be a lie. He had paused, and told her that pie was better.

A declaration of war if she ever heard one.

They proceeded to argue for a long time, throwing around every possible variation of the phrase 'No _you're_ wrong!'

It came to the point where they decided words would no longer be enough, action had to be taken.

And so they had done the only logical thing that could resolve this issue: they walked into a cake shop and began to systematically order everything in the menu.

After the first twelve servings a few of the patrons began to pay attention. After the first twenty, bets began to be shouted.

Now they could no longer count how much they had eaten, and the cake shop was full to bursting with people as they witnessed the bloody combat taking place.

Shirou straightened himself. It would not do well to look weak on the moment she finally admitted defeat. "You…should give up…already!" Panted Shirou, "It's obvious…you cannot…win!"

Vita attempted to straighten herself out as well, but was unable to. Their simple difference in size meant she had less space to pack in than her adversary. "You…are not…the boss of me!"

Shirou rested his weight on the table, he was starting to see double. "You're wrong…Vita…I hold great authority over you!"

With great effort, Vita managed to right herself. "No…you…don't! You are nothing! You are not my mother!"

Shirou began to laugh the laugh of the deranged. "Of course not Vita…I am your _father!_"

Vita's eyes widened while the crowd drew a collective gasp!

"No! That's not true! That's impossible!"

"And my devise is your sister!" Said Shirou with a manic look in his face.

"HEY!" Screamed the aforementioned device, he was not paid any mind.

"No! You are lying! That CAN'T be!"

"It's TRUE Vita! Look into your heart! You know it to be true! Embrace the Dark Side! Join me in my reverence of the pie!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOO! NEVER!" Screamed the redheaded spitfire defiantly, causing the crowd to break out into cheering.

Shirou smirked, "Looks like I'll have to show you the mistake of going against me! Waitress! Bring us the next item on the menu!"

There was a deafening cheer as the waitress hurried to comply with his order.

As the two of them sat there, staring at each other's eyes, proclaiming they would not be the first to fall, the waitress brought them the latest challenge.

Their mouths fell open in awe.

In her tray was something beautiful. Its very presence was peace. The sight of it was like a thousand angels gently massaging their eyes as they sung heavenly halleluiahs in the most gentle of lullabies.

In the tray…was cheesecake.

Shirou and Vita could feel tears falling from their eyes and making streaks down their cheeks.

"_It-It's beautiful."_ They whispered reverently in a strange synchrony.

They were served one slice each. Both of them stared at the beautiful construct in front of them, awe written plainly upon their faces.

The crowd awaited with baited breath, not knowing what would happen next. Impatient for them to go on, terrified of what could happen.

Shirou and Vita brought their hands together, and wept. They wept for they had finally seen the truth.

It was not a question of cake or pie, pie or cake.

The sins of the past must be forgiven and forgotten, for the future is what was truly of import.

As one they picked up their forks, savoring each and every bite as if it were a gift from heaven. Each knowing that maybe, just maybe, no pie or cake would again taste as good as what they had in front of them now.

Soon enough it was over, the two of them remaining quiet. The suspense in the air was enough to break a lesser man.

Then as one, they set their forks down and bowed their heads. The crowd erupting into cheers, shedding manly and unmanly tears in equal amounts.

It was over. It was finally over.

Their war ended in the only possible way it could have ended, with a smile on the face of both combatants.

They sat there, neither the winner nor the loser. Having made true peace, they were content to sit there and smile.

Their peace did not last very long. Forcing her way through the crowd was Signum Yagami, Zafira the guardian beast following in close step. From her angle she could see Vita with a tall man wearing a trenchcoat, she immediately stepped towards Vita, intending to give the spitfire a piece of her mind.

However, when she spotted the unruly mop of red hair that accompanied the Knight of the Iron Hammer she froze.

"Signum?"

The whisper was not soft enough to escape the notice of Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg. He turned and met the blue eyes of Signum, the one with whom he had enjoyed battle the day before.

They stared at one another for a long moment, the crowd wondering what would happen next within their strange soap opera.

They most assuredly did not expect the young man to reach into his coat and pull out a solid bar of gold out of one of the surprisingly deep pockets of his coat.

"Thank you _very_ much for the meal, it was wonderful." He said to the waitress, who stood frozen. "Do keep the change."

With that, he gave Vita a betrayed look which caused the redheaded spitfire to shrink back a little until she remembered her duty.

He then jumped out the window, shattering it as he made his escape.

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T-T-T-T-T-That's all for now folks!

And this surprised even me, but this will end up a three parter...yes I am unsure how that happened.

Now drop me a comment and let me know how bad I did! I am especially worried about having done Signum's fightan skills justice, and Hayate's and Vita's characterization.

Now DO let me have it!

...Please! (TTwTT)


	9. From Grief to Fury

(-,-)

(-,-)o⌐■_■

(⌐■_■)

Let's do this.

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As Shirou lay there, his ears ringing and skin singed, surrounded by the rubble of what used to be a building. He thought that maybe, _just maybe_, he could have handled that better.

Mayhaps, he could even have found a way that would not cause him to be riddled with shrapnel.

Life is in the little details like that.

He heard someone calling him over the din inside his ears. He tried to dredge up the knowledge of who that voice belonged to, but it was as if his thoughts had to crawl through a mire before they were realized.

"-oss! B-s-get u-We ne-et going! Tha-unt-ime!"

Shirou heard the voice. Even recognized that it was speaking with urgency. But the clouds looked so pretty that he just wanted to contemplate them a little. Groggily, he tried to remember how it was that he came to be in this predicament.

For some reason he could not fathom, he could not really remember.

"-et up!-mit Shirou! We ne-dy comi-yourself to-hey're co-!"

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Shirou liked running.

It was fun really. Moving your body. Feeling your heart pound. The feeling of breathlessness. The burning of your muscles. The heaviness of your lungs as they attempted to draw in enough air to meet your body's demands.

But for some reason he could not fathom, most of the time he ran, it was not for enjoyment.

The explosive spell with an iron core that missed his head by a hair's breadth and impacted against a wall reminded him why he was running.

"OS! How much longer before we can slide out of here!" Asked Shirou as he zigzagged through a crowd, evading the people he could while boldly pushing those he could not out of his way. "I'm not sure how much longer I can shake them!" Added the young slider as he ducked into an alley.

"Twenty minutes!" Responded OS in an unusually somber tone. Normally he'd be delighted that Shirou had to run for his life, but seldom was he chased by a skilled enough group that the prismatic weapon actually worried that he might be captured. "The jewels finished charging while you were in the restaurant! As long as we are not forced to expend any prana we should be able to make the jump in exactly twenty minutes!"

Shirou was about to answer his partner, but found that his breath would better serve him in other ways. Such as helping him deal with the countless luminescent blades which erupted out of the ground and walls around him. They emerged in a chaotic pattern that sought to cage him.

Fortunately for the young slider, he had been through worse. And while the lambent cage would have trapped many a person, it had enough holes that someone reckless enough to risk being burnt or cut by the blades would be able to use those openings to slip through.

Shirou proceeded to slide, skip, hop, and jump through the components of this strange spell. Needing to make use of all five D's of dodgeball in order to avoid getting impaled by them as they came out in an ever tightening pattern.

Unfortunately for him, the particular alley he was fleeing down was not built widely. And the ever tightening noose of luminescent blades sped past him and blocked his only exit.

A Kaleidoscopic beam of light caused by a slash made by his trusty weapon fixed this for him. Luckily for him, he was still in a largely populated section of the city. If he could lose his pursuers for even a few moments, he could activate the Assassin template and borrow its experience to lose himself in the crowd.

An arrow sheathed in fiery light grazed his shoulder as he landed, reminding him that his pursuers were not restricted by something so inconsequential as gravity.

Furthermore, the crowds were beginning to thin. It would seem that unlike most places that he ended up visiting, the people of this city were smart enough to move away from sounds of conflict.

Lucky him.

"Let's do this! Graf Eisen!" Screamed a soprano which gave Shirou the wise notion to immediately roll to the side, a red missile sailing through the spot he had been standing upon.

With a metallic clank, a muscular man with wolf ears set down behind and to his left while Signum landed to his right All three of his assailants being careful to keep a safe distance from him.

Shirou stood motionless. He needed to find a way to stall for eighteen more minutes. If he were to call upon a trace, that time would increase by at least an hour unless he used some of his newly filled jewels to compensate.

They simply stared at one another for a few moments until Shirou decided to speak. By the tone of his voice, one would think he was relaxing among friends. "So Vita, experiencing any difficulty from having eaten so much?"

The redheaded spitfire smirked. "Maybe a little, but I've been through worse. I'm surprised you can run so well. You ate almost as much as I did."

Shirou waved his hand in a negative gesture, using the movement to get it closer to one of his pockets. Hopefully in a way that did not seem too conspicuous. A movement all three of the Wolkenritter noticed. "Oh no no, I am fine, I left it all behind at least two miles ago, I seem to be doing a lot of throwing up lately."

"Maybe you are a closet bulimic." Said Vita with a ferocious smirk on her face.

Shirou was about to reply when Signum stepped forward. "Enough." Her single word silencing their little debate before it could truly gain momentum.

"Shirou, I need you to come with us. I swear you will not be harmed." Said the Blazing General in a stern, commanding voice.

Shirou could honestly say he liked people like Signum. Quick, decisive, and assertive. He had had the pleasure of working beside people like her, and the misfortune of working against people like her.

Which is why he knew she would keep her promises. She would rather lose her hand than break her word.

But her superiors likely would not feel such a compulsion. And judging by her reaction to the Trace that he'd locked away. That Trace had baggage, perhaps enough baggage to make life very uncomfortable.

Under other circumstances he would just agree with whomever and tag along, only to disappear in-transit. But she'd already seen some of the contents of his bag of tricks. She would never commit the folly of lack of oversight.

"Alright, you got me. I'll go peacefully." Said Shirou as he slowly brought his hands up, OS still clenched lightly on his right hand.

"Good. Now don't move, keep your arms out, and lower your device slowly to the ground." Said the muscle man behind Shirou as he stepped forward cautiously. Shirou's only response was to close his eyes, clench his teeth, and tighten his grip on OS.

"**COWABUNGA!**" Screamed OS loud enough to wake the dead. A blinding flash of multicolored light emanated from the weapon, causing the Wolkenritter to close their eyes to shield them from harm.

Zafira activated the Steel Yoke he'd prepared, but he could feel it trapped nothing but air.

A few moments later they regained their sight, their quarry nowhere to be found.

"Dammit! Sneaky little roach! When I get my hands on him I'l-!"

The spitfire's rant was cut short by Signum. "This is not the time Vita! Now we need to concentrate! But mark my words; we _will _share words over this! You spent an _entire afternoon_ with him! This disregard of your duties proves that we've become too lax!"

As Vita opened her mouth to reply, Signum turned sharply away from her and called for Zafira to change into his wolf form in order to better track him.

"W-well…You're too uptight." Dejectedly muttered the Knight of the Iron Hammer.

Moments later a large ultramarine wolf strode past her, only to stop and sneeze.

"_Argh! Pepper!"_ Said the guardian beast directly into their minds.

"What do you mean?" Said Signum as she walked to the side of the sniffling wolf.

"_Nothing, nothing at all, he just left pepper in his tracks, I'll pick up his scen-Ohgodchillypowder!" _Zafira ended up on his belly, uselessly batting at his hypersensitive nose to clear it of the offending spice.

Now that she stopped to notice, Signum could smell cinnamon in the air.

"Wow." Said Vita. "He…he threw a bunch of spices into the air as he ran…so Zafira couldn't pick up his scent. Pretty smart move."

The Guardian Beast was too busy writhing on the floor in agony to answer her. Signum however, had no such trouble. "But how would he know this? He's only fought me before. Unless…did you speak to him about us while you spent time with him?"

"No." Said the redhead thoughtfully. "I mentioned family and having an annoying older sister and a blue pet."

"_Hey!"_ Said the aforementioned pet before the heavy spices in the air once more reduced him to a whining heap.

"But I didn't mention anything beyond that." Finished Vita as if Zafira had not spoken.

The Knight of the Blade bit her fingernail. The only way for Shirou to have known about Zafira's wolf form would be through information stored in the Book of the Night Sky. Considering that, the chances that he had somehow faked the unison were slim.

But that opened a whole new can of worms. The best thing would be to capture him and get the story out of him.

"_Who the hell carries garlic powder on them!"_

Zafira's despairing cry snapped Signum out of her revere.

"That's enough Zafira. We'll just have to search for him through mundane means." As the Guardian Beast heeded her words and began to change back to the form of a man, she relayed their instructions.

"We need to split up and cover more ground! If you find him, call it in and wait for the rest of us to arrive. I can tell you from experience that he is extremely dangerous. Do _not_ under _any_ circumstances take him on alone."

With that the Blazing General took off across the skies. The rest of the Wolkenritter soon following suit.

A few minutes after they left, Shirou climbed out of the large trash container nearby the alley.

"Wow boss," Said OS. "Never would have believed that would work. Last time you tried it you just got dug out and beaten up." Chirped the weapon with great cheer in his voice. Remembering his partner's misfortunes was always a surefire way to lighter up his day.

"Well, they only found me because you would not stop singing." Said the slider in a flat tone.

"Good times."

Shirou chose not to respond to his weapon's antics, and simply began to walk. With some luck he could check into a Motel and get a quick shower before leaving.

Much to his chagrin, Lady Luck saw fit to slap his hopes to the ground and grind them beneath her heel. Numerous green chains appeared from green circles around him and held him in place.

This caused memories of numerous templates to surface. It would appear that many Shirou's across the multiverse did not have good experiences when it came to chains, this would require further investigation.

A blond haired, green eyed young man wearing brown trousers, a black shirt with a tan hued tabard adorned with a green arcane symbol over it, and a brown cloak stepped out of his hiding spot.

"You know. I had a hunch that you could not have gone far. You must be skilled indeed if you are able to give the Wolkenritter a run for their money." Said the man.

Shirou's only response was to meet the green eyed gaze of the young man.

"You see, I would normally not do this. I am a librarian, not a fighter. But when I checked in on Hayate this morning to see how Rein was faring... Imagine my surprise when I found her, Fate, and Nanoha all huddled together crying." At that moment an undertone of fury crept into the young man's voice.

"Not only that, but I was unable to get a clear answer out of them. Nothing other than a 'Shirou' had matched Signum in combat and somehow stolen the Book of the Night Sky, or found a way to appropriate its old Master Program.

"I'll only ask nicely this once. _What did you do?_"

Shirou looked at him evenly for a moment before giving his answer. "Would you believe I am as confused over this situation as your friend was?" Said Shirou with the most angelic smile he could muster.

The man's only response was to raise an eyebrow.

The slider continued. "Yeap! Completely confused I am over these proceedings! Now why don't you let me off these chains and we can both be on our ways?"

The young man remained quiet for a few moments before answering in a flat tone. "Do you think me a fool? I will take you in for questioning, and make you give back the Master Program."

Shirou only sighed.

"You did not honestly think that would work, did you boss?" Said OS in a condescending tone.

"It was worth a try." Said Shirou, disregarding the angry look the young man sent at him. "Hey blondie!" Called the slider.

'Blondie's' only response was to raise his other eyebrow.

"Yes you! Would you please let me off of these things? I _really_ am not into BDSM, chains just give me the creeps man."

'Blondie' flushed at the notion that the use of his restraints was something other than utilitarian. "You! My name is Yuuno! And this has _nothing_ to do with _any_ of that!"

"Says the guy who chained up another guy against his will and proceeded to deliver a speech about how the one chained up deserves to be chained up by the one who did the chaining.

"No matter how you cut it, that just sounds _wrong_."

"Y-You little!" The spell reacted to its Master's emotion, and slowly tightened on the one restrained.

"Gark! I thought you weren't into BDSM! You're not helping your case here!"

"SHUT UP!"

"Crap! OS Blade Mater! Engage!"

Shirou hated cutting the incantation so short. The added strain on his circuits would exhaust him more quickly as well as add extra time to the slide counter. Unfortunately for him, he almost never had a chance to use his entire incantation in order to reduce the strain to almost nil.

An occasion such as the one he found himself on.

"W-What? Dimensional interference?" Said the green eyed young man as his green chains slackened. Not a moment later, finely honed instincts caused him to bring up a round, green-tinted shield in front of him. The edge of a beautiful sword impacted against it not a moment later, causing a spiderweb of cracks to blossom across its surface.

With a grunt of effort he caused the swordsman to rebound from the round shield. Not a moment after that Yuuno had to make another one, his opponent had moved with the swiftness of a storm-wind and brought his sword around in an arc to strike again.

Their battle continued as such for a few moments longer, until Yuuno found the time to once more slip a binding spell past his shield in an attempt to restrain the rogue.

To his surprise, the ornamental weapon his red-headed foe used cut through the chains with little difficulty, barely slowing in its arc to come and impact against the shield he had conjured to protect himself.

Unfortunately for him, the stronger binding spell in his repertoire would take too long to cast. It would allow his red headed foe the opportunity he needed to strike. It was all Yuuno could do to keep his enemy at bay through a combination of shields and constantly renewed chains.

The cramped quarters of their place of engagement did not favor Yuuno. He did not have the space he would require to maneuver. Were he to attempt to take to the skies, it would present his back to this 'Shirou'. Yuuno once more remembered why he was told not to engage in close quarters combat.

A dedicated combatant would be able to overwhelm him. Yuuno truly shined when supporting the front line, not in the thick of the fight.

Yuuno was sure of his victory once he managed to wrap a chain across his aggressor's ankle. He proceeded to yank on that chain in order to make space between them.

He did not expect his opponent to turn in midair, cut through the chain, perform a turn an Olympic gymnast would be jealous of, then kick off from the wall, and descend upon the startled young man with a wordless warcry.

Yuuno answered his opponents cry with one of his own. Bringing forth an intricate green shield to halt his foe's assault. Any sword that impacted against it would be unable to pierce it, and then momentum would do all his work for him. The sword's innately fragile construction would cause it to shatter as if it had impacted point first against a stone wall.

Unfortunately for Yuuno, Calliburm was known as the sword of Assured Victory. A Noble Phantasm made of much sterner stuff. Wielded by its original owner, it would be able to kill the mighty Heracles himself seven times in a single strike.

Even though it was not in the hands of its original owner, Caliburn's tip was more than keen enough to penetrate through the shield with the bodyweight of the wielder soon following through. The combined mass and momentum driving the sword through the shoulder of Yuuno's Barrier Jacket. It was by mere chance alone the assault failed to cause more than a shallow gash across the mage's skin.

Shirou proceeded to inelegantly land on top of his green-eyed opponent, causing the two of them to tumble to the floor in an awkward pile of limbs, Caliburn pinning the blond to the floor.

Groaning, Shirou extricated himself from the downed Librarian. Seeing that the latter had been knocked out cold by the force of the impact. Shirou quickly retrieved his weapon and was about to dismiss the template when he heard the most peculiar sound.

Someone was sniffling.

Shirou turned slowly and was surprised to see a head of flaming red hair tied into twin braided tails.

Vita stood on the street, twenty feet away, staring at the downed librarian with a dead expression.

"Y-You took it." Said Vita in a very soft voice, tears starting to fall from her eyes. "H-How could you?" Sobbed the saddened spitfire.

To say Shirou was nonplused would be akin to saying that cheesecake was merely 'not bad'. "W-What?"

"Y-You broke through Yuuno's barrier…You broke. Through Yuuno's. Barrier."

Shirou rubbed the back of his head with Caliburn's pommel. "Yes…yes I did."

Vita continued, not even noticing the other red-head had spoken. "B-But…but his first time was supposed to be mine…his first time was supposed to be mine!" The second repetition of her grief changed her tone from sad to vengeful.

"What." Was Shirou's eloquent summation of the proceedings.

"You stole it from him! IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MINE!"

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"-AKE UP! WA-P DAM-! SHIROU! STOP FUC-ROUND! G-UP"

Shirou groggily opened his eyes, pieces of screaming managing to dribble past the ringing in his ears. _'What's with the fuss?'_ He wondered. _'All I did was close my eyes for a moment.'_

He groggily looked about himself, noticing that some of the fires that had been scattered around him were starting to put themselves out as they ran out of fuel.

"Shirou? SH-U! WAK-MIT!"

Shirou wondered what was so important that this person kept whispering in his ear. He found it quite annoying. And what was with that ringing noise?

He slowly brought his hand and rubbed the back of his head, it came away covered in a crimson liquid.

'_Hu?'_

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Shirou ran through the streets, weaving and bobbing in order to evade the numerous red blasts that were continually sent his way.

"Look! I'm sorry I took his first time! I didn't know it was reserved for you!" Screamed Shirou as he ran, too busy staying alive to worry about the suggestive nature of his speech.

"NO YOU'RE NOT! YOU TOOK IT! YOU TOOK IT! I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HIS FIRST!" Screamed the hysteric Vita. She had been looking forward to being the first that would pierce Yuuno's barrier. _His first time was hers dammit!_ Now some punk had come and stolen that right from under her hammer! Unacceptable!

Neither one was aware of all the looks they were drawing. Shirou because he was too busy staying alive. Vita because she was too busy contemplating what she'd lost.

Vita was so distraught that she failed even to call in her quarry to the rest of the Wolkenritter.

"Damn! Are you _trying_ to kill me!"

"SHUT UP! DIE DIE DIE! YOU TOOK HIS FIRST FROM ME!"

Not that their antics would fail to draw their attention anyway.

Shirou ducked into an alley, he had to even the playing field.

Once inside, he quickly kicked off the ground with his reinforced legs and soared a solid 30 feet up unto a fire escape. There he waited.

Not long after that, the inconsolable Vita flew into the alley seeking her prey. Shirou immediately jumped off his ledge and barreled into the girl's back.

The added weight caused the two of them to impact against the ground with great force, the small girl maneuvered by her opponent into absorbing most of the impact.

When their tumble stopped they ended on the floor with Shirou straddling the smaller knight, his sword pressed firmly against her stomach, the Knight of the Iron Hammer too dazed by the impact to struggle.

Shirou knew that he needed to wound her seriously to make her drop out of the chase. Hell, from the memories of the Trace, he knew that she would shrug it off within a few days' time, it would not endanger her life at all.

However.

'_**Nice to meet you?'**_

He couldn't do it.

'_**That woman! I'll kill her!'**_

'_**No! You can't kill Fuji-nee!'**_

Memories not his own were coursing through his consciousness.

'_**Vita-chan, You really like Teriyaki, don't you!'**_

Shirou clenched his teeth and pressed the tip of Caliburn a little more strongly at her stomach, ripping through the fabric and pricking her skin.

'_**I know, it's 'hormone imbalanced', but all those old ladies in the shopping district keep treating me like a sick little girl every time they see me outside.'**_

His hand began to tremble as it clenched the grip of the weapon so hard it popped his knuckles.

'_**- to boldly go where no man has gone before!'**_

'_**Vita, maybe you should turn off the TV for a while,'**_

'_**But this is Star Trek! They got space so wrong that it's hilarious!'**_

Shirou tried with all his might to make the weapon advance, pressing slowly forward until it drew a single drop of blood from the girl's stomach, upon which moment it halted as though steel wires were holding his movement back.

'_**How relieved I feel to hear that from the boy who got his ass kicked by Taiga only this morning,'**_

He had to fight gastric juices as they sought to free themselves from his stomach. He could not hurt the girl bellow him, but he _had_ to. Securely taking down one of his pursuers would increase his chances of success immensely.

'_**How about target practice? Shirou can be the target!'**_

'_**What?'**_

'_**You can fly now but you have no idea on how it feels to fly in a real battle right? You should at least learn how to dodge some practice rounds.'**_

Shirou once more clenched his teeth. He would harden his heart if he had to. He knew for a fact that her life would not be in danger.

Ignoring the burning feeling in his eyes, he screamed as he put power into his arm and drove the sword down with all his strength. It was as if he feared that any less commitment would cause him to falter.

'_**Surprise! Schwalbefliegen!'**_

His fist 'thunked' into the pavement a moment later, having dismissed the projected Noble Phantasm before it could draw one more drop of Vita's blood.

The sob he had tried his hardest to choke in his throat finally escaped its confines, the tears that had made their way down his cheeks falling into the spitfire's slowly awakening face. As soon as she realized her position she stiffened.

She was about to struggle until she felt the warm drops continually falling upon her. Surprised she looked up to see Shirou weeping as he sat atop her.

Her earlier rage forgotten. She was about to ask what was wrong, when the young swordsman got off her and bolted down alley as if fleeing from her.

Remembering her earlier instruction, Vita concentrated on her telepathic link with the rest of the Wolkenritter.

"_Guys…I…I've spotted Shi-the target."_

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Slowly, ever so slowly, Shirou turned over. The simple action causing the world to spin.

He pushed himself into a kneeling position with trembling arms that refused to hold his weight.

Panting, he looked about himself. But he could not focus, some liquid continued falling into his eyes and forcing him to close them.

His attempt to stand caused the ringing in his ears to intensify, as if the world were accommodating the wishes of that noise. The floor suddenly was not bellow him and he just collapsed back to the ground.

"—rou! Shi-! Tha-pe yo-. ou? Shi-!"

The blackness he'd tried so hard to keep at bay crawled over his vision again.

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"He had me dead to rights but he just ran off." Said Vita of the Wolkenritter as she explained her encounter with their quarry.

"Vita," Said Signum in a voice so calm that it would cause most to back away slowly. "What part of 'he is extremely dangerous' did you not understand?"

"W-Well…you see…it's just that…I ahhh."

"I even made sure to tell you to call for the rest of us instead of engaging him alone."

"B-But h-he broke through Yuuno's barri-"

"Which should have driven the thought that sense he has done something no-one to date has managed he _might_ be a _little_ more than you can handle Vita!" Said Signum, the anger she had tried to keep from her voice finally erupting from her.

Vita visually deflated. "Yes ma'am."

"Not only that but you chased him, opening fire, _in a civilian populated area!"_

Vita's shoulders drooped a little more. "Yes ma'am."

"You then fell into one of the most _basic_ traps, the literal _oldest trick in the book!_"

"Yes ma'am."

"You were then at his _mercy!_ And only lived because he _allowed you to!_"

By this point Vita was kneeling on the ground, were it possible, the sheer grief and humiliation she was feeling would cause a complicated series of meteorological events that would conclude upon the creation of a small localized raincloud that would proceed to hold position above her in order to better denote her sorrow.

But of course that is impossible so it did not happen.

Or did it…?

"That aside, you were able to track him here." Said the Knight of the Sword as she looked about herself. "Now that we are in an isolated area, we should be able to fight more freely now."

"Didn't you say that he excelled at commando warfare?" Asked Zafira. "How do you know he did not lead us here in order to set up a trap?"

"I don't."

"Ahh, of course."

Shirou had not, in fact, escaped there to set up an elaborate trap. Rather as he sought to escape his feelings of guilt over what he almost did to a braided spitfire, he had simply run to the closest empty area.

He had been so distraught that he had failed even to remember to dismiss the Blade Master template. A fact he was now grateful for. It would cost him more precious prana to call upon it again.

The moment he heard the guardian beast ask about traps, he berated himself for not having thought of that.

'_OS said that it would take 20 minutes, this was 25 minutes go, however, I called upon a trace with no incantation, which means that likely there is one hour and thirty minutes added to the slide counter.'_ Thought the beleaguered slider.

'_Furthermore, that number won't decrease as long as I keep a Trace active…this got complicated. I could probably use one of the jewels I asked OS to fill in order to make an immediate jump, but in that time they will find me and swarm me…why did this get so complicated?'_ Lamented Shirou, he hated having to use jewels, they always took too long to replenish for his liking.

When he was done thinking he realized that he had lost track of their conversation.

"I set up a barrier. He won't be able to leave the area. If he has a way to drill through it, he won't be able to do it without my knowledge." Said Zafira.

"Good," Answered the pink haired knight. "Now we need to split up and find him. Remember, do not engage him alone. Find him and call the rest of us so that the three of us can work together an-Zafira…where's Vita?"

The wolf eared man faltered. "Uuhhh…"

"Surprise! Schwalbefliegen!" Screamed the missing Wolkenritter. Shortly thereafter a familiar mop of red hair crashed through a wall, impacting against the ground bellow them a moment later.

"Hey guys! I found him!" Called the happy spitfire with a face splitting grin adorning her features.

Without pausing to plant her face in her palms, Signum shot down like a bullet unto their foe, Zafira following close behind.

Shirou quickly shot to his feet and took off running in the direction of another building. Once more, luminescent spikes shot out of the ground in an attempt to trap him, they were easily severed by Caliburn's keen edge.

Unfortunately for him, the spikes had been meant only to slow him. A task they succeeded at. A moment later, as if something had told him he was in danger, he turned and swatted an iron ball out of the air before it could impact against his back. The action unfortunately threw him off balance.

Signum capitalized on the distraction caused by her comrades and dove behind Shirou, bringing her weapon in an arc to cut into his hamstrings. An attack that was barely evaded as Shirou threw himself into a backwards roll.

As he sought to get his feet under him, Zafira landed behind him and threw a heavy kick. Once more, his sword's uncanny instinct warned Shirou of the attack, and he was able to bring it over his shoulder to block the Guardian Beast's strike before it met his spine. The action threw him forward, upon which moment the blunt head of Vita's waiting hammer met his stomach and propelled him into a wall.

Shirou smacked into the wall and slid bonelessly from it to the ground. He needed to even the playing field somehow.

He quickly cut through the wall and dove into what looked like a warehouse, the Wolkenritter hot on his trail.

When he saw his quarry, he pushed off the wall and fell upon Vita like a heavy wind. He brought Caliburn forward in an arc only to have his attack met by the haft of Graf Eisen, the sheer force behind his strike almost buckling the knees of the deceptively strong girl.

While his weapon was occupied by the hammer, Zafira drove forward and sought to burry one of his fists into Shirou's side. The latter brought his foot up and kicked the Guardian Beast's arm, knocking the strike out of the way.

A moment later, Signum delivered what would normally be the deciding attack of this short skirmish. She dove from the skies like a hunting hawk, crashing through the skylight for a moment she resembled an avenging angel surrounded by glittering diamond shards. She brought Levatein down in a two handed strike that would leave Shirou with a deep cut down his back, a debilitating enough wound that he would be forced to submit to them.

The ring of steel striking steel was completely drowned out by the sound of glass impacting the ground, the pink haired warrior was surprised to see that her attack had been halted. Shirou had let go of his sword with his left hand as he turned to meet Signum, clenched tightly on his left fist, was a perfect replica of the sword he clutched with his right.

They all remained motionless for a single second. In the next, the Wolkenritter were forced to fight for their lives as Shirou became, for lack of a better description, a hurricane of razor-sharp steel.

In the few moments that their armaments met before the Wolkenritter were able to open the distance between them, Levatein lost its tip, one of Zafira's gauntlets was shattered, and cracks blossomed across Graf Eisen's haft.

Yet even so they all realized how lucky they were. All three of them were wounded, but by some strange stroke of luck, what would normally be a collection of lethal wounds, resulted in little more than scratches.

Zafira had a small laceration in the space between his fifth and sixth ribs, Vita had received a scratch on her neck, and Signum had a small amount of blood dribbling down from her mid-inner thigh.

Then they looked at their foe and realized the truth.

In that one small moment where they had been sure of their victory. In that one millisecond in which they had let their guard down, thinking themselves victorious, he had taken that one instant of compliance and sprung upon them a trap. Having had the opportunity to give each of them a wound that would have cost them their lives in a few minutes at most, he took it.

He had chosen to spare them, knowing that they were his enemies.

And now everyone present knew his defeat was assured.

For they would not underestimate him again, denying him another opportunity to decisively end the combat in his favor.

The four of them tensed as they prepared to spring back into action.

The instant before their battle resumed, the earth heaved below them, causing the four of them to stumble and fight to keep their balance. The left wall of the building proceeded to explode in a shower of molten steel and vaporized concrete.

As the cloud of dust cleared, Shirou and the Wolkenritter were privy to an image that would give them nightmares in the future.

Stepping through the hole she had made, Yagami Hayate stood to her full height. Six black wings spread out behind her. The magical energy she did not bother to restrain causing her white hair to move in a captivating dance not unlike the movements of countless snakes. Her blue eyes displayed only a single emotion.

Fury.

"What. Have you done. To REINFORCE!" The enraged Lost Logia punctuated her query by throwing her arm forward, a beam of burning white light shooting towards the surrounded slider and his opponents.

Long honed instincts made the Wolenritter and the slider jump away, barely clearing the area that the spell shot through on its way to vaporize a hole on the other side of the warehouse.

Shirou felt prana begin to coalesce around him and immediately jumped away, yellow bindings forming in the places his arms and legs had occupied moments before. He quickly turned and swatted away a pink ball of energy that had sought to strike his back, the force behind the spell causing him to lose his grip on one of his copies of Caliburn.

Two more figures entered the building, one of them a blond dressed in black, the other a brunette dressed in white.

Shirou once more held his template's preferred weapon in a two handed grip and settled into a defensive stance.

"Please do not struggle any further." Said the blond. "We cannot guarantee your safety if you resist arrest." At her words, the black halberd she was using changed. A blade of yellow energy erupted from the altered axe head to form a scythe.

Shirou looked about himself and took stock of his options. He had the Wolkenritter, who were a strong and experienced fighting group. Two women that, from what he could deduce because of what she said, were with law enforcement. And a distraught, hyperventilating white-haired girl that could melt holes in steel at will.

Still not the worst situation he has been on, but getting there.

"Hey Signum!" Called the slider, causing everyone in the building to tense.

"Yes?" Responded the pink haired knight.

"I feel I must apologize."

"Why would that be?" Asked the tense knight of the sword as all her allies prepared to spring forward.

"I just realized that while I know the name of your weapon, I failed to present mine." Answered the slider in an amicable voice.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I do not see how that is important in the current situation."

Shirou simply smiled. "Well, allow me to do so anyway." Said Shirou as he emptied the full contents of a storage jewel into Caliburn, filling it with more energy than even its mystic frame could hold.

The Aces and Wolkenritter tensed as luminescent fractures appeared upon Shirou's blade, springing forward in hopes of stopping him from completing whatever attack he was about to make.

They were much too late.

"Roar! CALIBURN!"

A second dawn that shamed the Mid-Childian sun in its brightness illuminated the docks that day.

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The mire that was Shirou's head finally began to clear.

As he clawed his way to a crouching position, he decided that next time, he should be smarter about causing powerful detonations too close to himself.

"SHIROU! SHIROU GET UP DAMMIT!"

"Gark! OS, I can hear you fine, don't scream!"

"Oh thank the Kaleidoscope! Quick! Expend a jewel and open up a portal we need to get out of here!"

Shirou groggily sat up, and saw that his gambit had paid off for the most part. He'd certainly succeeded in making the space he needed.

And obliterating the building…and the building next to it, and the one after that.

And a good bit of the floor.

And walkways.

And machinery.

…

Choosing not to further contemplate the damage he had caused, Shirou quickly obeyed his partner's instruction and emptied the contents of a storage jewel directly into OS. The energy topping off the prismatic sword and bringing his total remaining jewels to ten.

He quickly made a slash in the air, causing a kaleidoscopic rift to open in front of him.

This action did not go unnoticed.

"Dimensional interference detected!" Screamed Zafira as he felt Shirou's spell take hold.

Signum looked up, and saw that their quarry was about to get away.

The blast had thrown everyone quite a distance. Not even Fate would be able to cross that expanse in time to stop him from escaping.

But Signum would not allow him to leave without answering her questions.

"Vita!" Screamed the leader of the Wolkenritter as she launched herself at the Knight of the Iron Hammer.

It was at moments like this, when there was no time to talk, that the Wolkenritter truly shined.

For they did not need words in order to understand each other.

"Yes! _Raketenform!_" Called Vita, one of the heads of her hammer transforming into a rocket which proceeded to flare and spin her entire body.

Timing her collision perfectly, Signum landed on Graf Eisen's spinning haft, utilizing its momentum to launch herself towards Shirou with great speed. The stress this put on the embattled weapon causing the shaft to shatter.

But it had served its purpose. Signum closed the distance between herself and Shirou in but a moment's span, barreling into the young man as he began to move forward into the rift.

This of course caused the two of them to fall through the rift together. The rip in the time-space continuum closing itself the moment the two of them were through.

The three Aces and the rest of the Wolkenritter arrived at the scene a few moments later.

"Quick Zafira! Trace the place they transferred to and get us there! Signum might need our help!" Commanded the Mistress of the tome of the Night Sky.

"Ha!" Vocalized the Guardian Beast, a moment later he frowned. "Wait…this can't be right." Muttered the wolf man.

"What's taking so long!" Demanded the distraught Hayate, the other two Aces giving her a worried look.

"T-They…they did not make a dimensional transfer." Explained the Guardian Beast slowly.

"What! _You said there was a dimensional interference!_"

"I-I know Hayate…but…that was not a Belkan or Mid-Childan transfer spell."

"What! Then where are they!"

"I…I do not know."

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*Elsewhere in the Multiverse*

"A land ravaged by war, by demons, by those who call themselves gods. A world where the hawk of light is regarded as a savior by the frightened masses. And a swordsman in black travels the land, seeking nothing more than to cut it down."

"OS stop monologuing!"


	10. Plight

Wellp, I stayed up till 2 completing this snippet and adding finishing touches.

Hope ye bastages are happy at how much I like yall eh? =c= (grumpy bear in the mornings. :P)

Once more, Kudos to Old Iron for Betaing.

Warning, there is a part that is slightly NSFWish, if that is not your stuff, then I would encourage you to skip the section composted largely of italics.

With that warning given.

On With The Show!

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It was a wintry evening not unlike any other on the forest. The birds were long gone, seeking warmer weather over the southward horizon. The air was cold, almost bitingly so in fact. Frost could be seen in patches on the ground and some of the roots of trees. And yet the conditions for snow would not yet be met for another few weeks.

The peace of the forest was broken when, with a tortured scream, reality was rent asunder by a multicolored wound. Two figures rocketed through this laceration a moment later, the hole closing itself the instant they were through.

"Oomph!" was Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg's brilliant commentary as he was forced face first into the freezing cold ground.

Signum Yagami's weapon was driven out of her hand by the impact. Rather than struggle to reacquire it, she immediately took hold of her foe's weapon arm and bent it against his back at a painful angle. Ignoring the yammering weapon's continued protests, she ripped OS out of Shirou's grip and threw the jeweled sword a fair distance away.

"Ouch! You're gonna pay for that!" Said OS when he landed, he was promptly ignored.

Exhausted, mildly concussed, rather confused, and in pain, Shirou wanted nothing more than to lie down and pass out. However, he would never allow himself to be bested without a fight. He began to struggle against Signum, the knight forcing his arm further up in hopes of pacifying him.

"Maybe not today! Maybe not tomorrow!" Continued the jeweled weapon.

Shirou grit his teeth to bear the pain. Her hold was painful, but not at an angle that would dislocate his shoulder. Signum pressed his head harder into the dirt and tried to sneak one of her arms across his neck. Shirou ducked his chin and wriggled until he was able to put some weight on his knees.

"Maybe…not ever…" Muttered OS.

With a wordless roar, Shirou took advantage of his greater body mass and stood up, carrying Signum's full weight with him as he stood. Shirou shook himself much like a dog to try and dislodge his assaulter, but Signum wrapped her legs around his midsection to prevent that from happening. When he saw his attempt did not work, Shirou threw himself backwards to the ground, in the hope of driving his mass into the smaller Signum and knock the breath out of her lungs with the impact.

"B-But that is just details! I will make you regret throwing me!" Finished OS with great conviction in his voice.

Unfortunately for Shirou, Signum saw through what he was attempting to do. She unlocked her legs from his waist and lithely turned her body, driving her weight towards the right. She guided Shirou's fall so he impacted chest first against the ground, stunning him momentarily. Concentrating as much of her weight as she could on his upper back, she took hold of his right arm and held it up at a painful angle, stopping just short of dislocating it.

Realizing he had lost, Shirou stopped struggling. For several moments the only sound that could be heard was the labored breaths of the two combatants as they attempted to bring their hearts back under control.

"Wow boss." Interrupted OS. "I never knew you liked being in the bottom so much."

Neither Shirou nor Signum chose to dignify that with a response.

"So," grunted Shirou. "What now?"

Signum tightened her grip on his arm in case he was planning anything. "Now, I bind you, and I transfer us back to Mid-Childa. Then you will answer all of our questions."

"That…might not be as easy as you think it is Signum." Answered the Slider.

"All you did was a dimensional transfer here, all I have to do is calculate one back." Panted the knight.

"Well…I have the nagging suspicion…that your dimensional transfer and mine…might be a _little_ bit different."

"Heh, you think I'll fall for such a simple trick?"

"Well you see, I'm telling you the tru-uurk!"

Shirou's explanation was interrupted when Signum shifted on top of him, the movement causing spikes of agony to blossom from his shoulder.

"H-Hey what are you doi-grk!" His protests were silenced as Signum wrapped her left arm around his neck and cut off the blood flow to his brain.

He attempted to struggle, but her position and the way she still had his arm in a hold ensured he couldn't do anything.

Seconds later, his struggle ceased as he was rendered unconscious.

Signum stood and stretched her pained limbs. She was surprised when Shirou's device addressed her.

"Hey lady." Called the jeweled sword, his tone a few shades removed from hostile.

"Yes?" Answered Signum after a few moments.

"Just wanted to let you know," Continued the weapon, its tone solemn. "If you just killed my partner, I will make sure neither of us leaves this 'verse alive." OS spoke with a quiet conviction, having stated nothing but a simple and absolute truth.

Signum frowned, surprised by both the threat and the fluidity of speech with which it was delivered. She chose to take its threat seriously however. "I merely knocked him unconscious; I can't have him awake while I look for a way to restrain him." As she finished her speech she began to search through Shirou's pockets. She was surprised both at their number and how deep they were.

After a few moments of silence OS spoke up. "Well in that case, look at his outside trench coat pocket, third one from the bottom on the right side."

Signum hesitated a moment before cautiously complying. She was surprised to find a long length of rope. "Why are you helping me?" She asked as she began to tie Shirou's hands behind his back.

"You'll find it eventually. No reason to make the search take longer and waste time you could use on something important, like looking for shelter; it's getting colder by the second." Answered the weapon.

Signum inspected her handiwork and tested it, making sure that it would be the least uncomfortable possible while still preventing her unconscious opponent from getting out of his restraints. "What I meant was; why would you facilitate my task of making your partner a captive?" She asked as she retrieved Levatein. She gave the blade a quick cleaning with a cloth and then sheathed it.

"No matter how I look at it, my partner's fate hinges on your decisions," Answered OS in an earnest tone, "I'd rather you spend the time finding some shelter before the storm breaks."

As soon as the weapon was done with his answer, Signum felt cold drops of moisture pelt against her skin. "If I pick you up…will you attack me?" Asked the Knight of the Blade to the far too intelligent device.

"As long as you don't harm my partner, I mean no harm to you lady, that I can swear."

Taking it for its word, Signum picked up the weapon, noting that it was not sharp, she stuck it through her belt to secure it. She then picked up the unconscious Shirou in a fireman carry and took off into the skies in search of a cave, the deepening twilight promising to make the task an arduous one.

"Besides," Said OS with his customary cheer once more coloring his tone. "I can't _wait_ to see boss' reaction when he wakes up, he _hates_ being tied up."

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"Hey…could you free me? I _really_ hate being tied up." Deadpanned Shirou.

"Shut up! You'll disrupt my calculations." Said Signum in an annoyed tone of voice.

Shirou remained quiet for a few moments before speaking. "But you've been calculating for the past two hours."

"And if _someone_ did not keep distracting me, _maybe_ I would get done sooner." Answered the young woman through gritted teeth.

"Are we there yet?" Came the customary annoying call from her belt.

"No." Deadpanned Signum.

"How about now?" Asked Shirou.

"No!"

"…and now?" Whined OS.

"Shut it!"

"Okaaaaay." Said the Slider and the jeweled weapon in perfect synchrony.

For a few moments the only thing that could be heard in the cave was the fall of rain and the crackling of the fire. Signum's face shifting to a frown of concentration.

"How about now?" Asked the Slider and OS at the same time.

"SHUT UP!"

Shirou acceded to her demand, he knew OS was about to continue, but shook his head, it would be useless to antagonize her any further.

About fifteen minutes later Signum was rubbing her head in frustration.

"Why? Why? _Why?_ This doesn't make any sense! The coordinates are _right_! Why is the spell reading that there is nothing there!" Growled the Knight of the Blade with great aggravation in her voice, her characteristic calm lost.

"I would venture the answer: Because _there is nothing there_." Said Shirou.

Signum simply looked at him in contempt. "What? You transferred us such a great distance that I can't reach the coordinates I am aiming for?"

Shirou remained quiet for a few moments before giving his own answer.

"How much do you know about parallel universes?"

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"That," Said Signum after a thorough and lengthy explanation. "is _bullshit!_"

Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg sighed, he had feared she would have this particular reaction.

"But it's the truth." Said the Slider with a weary sigh.

"You expect me to believe that you are from a parallel world. That you can 'synchronize' with the parallel…yous…across the 'multiverse', and that this entire incident was caused because you synchronized with a parallel you who picked up the book of darkness and grew up with the Wolkenritter serving him?" Deadpanned Signum.

"…_**Yes.**_"

Signum dropped her face unto her palms. "There is a simple explanation for this: I am dreaming, likely in a coma. I failed to catch you before you finished your Dimensional Transfer and am now in the hospital waiting to wake up."

Shirou nodded his agreement, not wanting to stir up a hornet's nest.

"Or maybe you tackled my partner into a dimensional rift, piggybacking into a universe separate from yours and are now stuck here with us until you give me back to my partner so we can make another hop back to your place." Said OS, surprising Shirou, the jeweled weapon would normally take any chance he could to tease a person in distress; if he was holding back then the situation must be more serious than Shirou thought.

"OS…is something wrong?" Asked Shirou with trepidation in his voice.

"Can't you feel it boss? You should be able to tell without my help."

Shirou took a moment to focus and stretch his senses. There _had_ been something bothering him, but he had pushed it to the back of his mind to deal with more immediate matters. Like being in captivity.

But now that it was brought to his attention, there was a…quality…to the mana in the air. It had a sickly feel to it, like a miasma that was given off by rotting things.

"It's…corrupted? Tainted?" Said Shirou.

"Yeeap." Answered the sword from Signum's belt. "What's more, I ran a few scenarios. I can't process the mana here, it would…curse me? I guess you could say. It would corrupt my programming. So any prana I get will need to come from you boss."

Signum could stay quiet no longer. "What are the two of you talking about?"

"Can't you feel it?" Asked Shirou distractedly. "The quality to the mana here…as if it…flows from deep within. Something…poisons it before it permeates the air."

"So what?" Asked Signum.

"Well…normally I could have a transfer back to your home ready in about 24 hours. The amount of energy to tear a hole between two universes is…a little hefty."

Signum raised her eyebrow. "That long? Well what's different now?"

"Sense I can't rely on mana to power up the spell…well…we might be stuck here for a week or two." Said Shirou, not meeting his captor's eyes.

"How do I know this is not just some plot that you are trying in order for me to give your device back?" Asked Signum.

Shirou remained quiet, trying to come up with a good response.

"Because he loves you very much!" Screamed OS from her belt.

"What!"

"What!"

"Yeah can you not see it! The way he refuses to meet your eye! How he tries not to stare at those creamy legs! The blush to his cheeks!"

"Shut up OS!" Said Shirou.

"The way that he keeps thinking about running his hands through your hair!" Continued OS as if the slider had not spoken. "How he only wants the two of you to give up control to your primal urges and spend a night of steamy and hot passi-"

"SHUT UP OS!" Said the Slider and the Knight together, a fierce blush adorning both their faces.

"ion! Reveling in each other's touch! Convulsing from the agonizing pleasure that courses through your bodies! Losing yourselves in the glorious afterglow that is brought about as-"

"SILENCE!" Screamed Signum as she began to bang the jeweled weapon against the wall.

"Ouch ouch! Hey lady don't do tha-! Aggh the burn! No! Hey this is childish!"

"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up!" Screamed Signum, punctuating each of her cries with a strike against the wall.

"Argh! Alright alright alright! I'll shut up!" Seceded OS.

Signum stood there, panting and with a fierce blush, she looked to her captive and their eyes met but for an instant before the two of them looked away, unable to meet each other's stare.

"_Still got it."_ Whispered OS, causing him to be smashed against the wall once more.

After a long awkward silence the two of them simply opted to go to sleep.

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"_N-No!" Said Signum as a strong grip locked her arms above her head, leaving her unable to deter the merciless ministrations of the man above her._

_The man simply chuckled. "You keep saying no." He whispered into her ear. "Yet you have made no effort to stop me..." He began to trail a line of searing kisses across her neck. "You are... more than able to...__"_

_As he spoke, his free hand drew lines of fire across her heated skin. She tried to get her breathing under control, to regain some form of command over the situation, but her efforts were useless. His merciless attentions causing her to writhe futilely in his grip__._

"_Ooohh? What have we here?" Said the man as his exploring hand found her most private place, his slightest touch sending arcs of electricity up her spine._

"_N-Don't!" Begged Signum as her torment only intensified._

"_Don't what?" Said the golden eyed figure, "I won't understand unless you tell me clearly."_

_Signum's blush, impossible as it should be, intensified at the mere thought of giving voice to the details she so desired. "S-Stop. Pleas-aaah!" Her plea was interrupted as his movements changed from teasing to possessive, causing her back to arc in ecstasy. Writhing impotently in his grasp, her speech was reduced to a few mewled protests due to the strength of the sensations racing through her__._

_When next she was aware of herself, she saw that her hands had been tied above her head. Crouched beneath her was her redheaded captor, staring at her most private place with a predatory gleam in his golden eyes__._

"_P-Please…" Said Signum with desperation coloring her voice. Whether to beg him to release her or bid him to continue, not even she knew__._

_Shirou smirked at her. "As my lady desires." He said as he extended his tongue to-_

Signum Yagami woke with a gasp!

She shot to her feet, Levatein appearing in her hand with a deadly and fluid motion. She stood in the cave beside the dying embers of the fire and breathed as if she had been sprinting for several minutes straight.

She then remembered exactly what caused her to wake and almost dropped her weapon in embarrassment.

"W-What the hell?" Whispered Signum as she tried to gather herself, she looked to her captive and saw that he had not stirred. The exhaustion of the chase and combat of the day before having crashed down upon him the moment he closed his eyes to sleep.

Shaking her head to get it out of the gutter, she once more lay down on the hard floor and tried to calm her raging heart.

Giving her head one last shake she closed her eyes and tried to find sleep again, tomorrow promised to be a long day.

'_All according to plan.' _Thought the prismatic weapon strapped to her belt, waiting for the opportune moment to resume his whispers.

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"Sssooooo…any idea where we're going?" Asked Shirou to the figure behind him as he carefully walked through the animal track.

"Shut up and keep walking." Answered Signum.

"Still grumpy? It's been three hours. I would have thought you would have woken up fully by now." Said the Slider with worry in his voice. "Are you sure you're ok? Your face was really red this morning, you might have caught a fever."

"Shut up and keep walking!" Snapped Signum with crimson tinting her cheeks.

"Could you at least untie me? I won't be going anywhere while you still have OS, and I need to have him on me for at least two weeks before I can stockpile enough energy to make a jump."

"No." Answered Signum succinctly.

Shirou sighed and spoke no more. She had been strangely snappish all morning. The memories from the trace did not have anything in them that pointed towards her having a period. But then again this Signum seemed to be physically older than the one on his second-hand memories.

While the Slider worried, Signum spent her time attempting to calm down. She'd had multiple dreams the night before and still could not force herself to look her captive in the eye.

"Hey lady, what's with the rope?" Asked OS, referring to the length of cord tied to Shirou's bonds.

"It's to make sure he won't try anything funny." Answered the pink haired knight in a clipped tone.

"But if you want to bring him to heel, shouldn't you make it a leash? That way you can pull it and he will be like a dog at your feet~" Said the prismatic weapon, hope coloring his voice.

"Shut up OS!" Called Shirou, he was promptly ignored.

"And once he is there you could totally present your boot to him and demand he lick it!" Continued the perverted weapon, "Force him to call you mistress before turning him over with a kick and stepping on his privates as a reward!"

"SHUT UP OS!"

"And while he gets off to that you could totally call him names and stuff! It would be perfect!"

"One of these days OS, I _swear_ I will take a hammer and break you into a thousand pieces." Muttered Shirou to himself as he chose to ignore his weapon's ramblings.

Signum, for her part, was fighting the fierce blush tinting her cheeks. That description had been a little too close to one of her dreams for comfort. She did not know how, but she just _knew_ that Hayate was to blame for that somehow.

Elsewhere in the multiverse, a certain brown haired girl sneezed before resuming her nefarious plans to ensure that her two best friends and her love interest would spend a night of torrid passion. Hang in there Shirou-chan!

"So lady, when was the last time you got laid?"

The weapon's query made Signum trip on her own feet. The only thing that saved her from planting her face on the dirty ground was her grip on the rope connected to Shirou's binds.

"W-W-W-W-_WHAT_!"

"OS, stop teasing her." Ordered Shirou with no conviction on his voice, OS would do was OS is wont to, simple as that.

"W-W-What type of question is that!" Demanded the embarrassed Signum.

"You forgot to add the question mark at the end of your sentence Signum." Quipped OS.

"I am going to break you." Said Signum with absolute calm. "I am going to find the nearest boulder and smash you against it until you break. And then, I am going to stomp on the pieces until you are nothing more than a fine powder and then I will-"

"Signum!" Called Shirou with urgency in his voice.

"What!" Snapped the flustered girl, not happy that her rant had been interrupted.

"Stand still," Answered the Slider, heeding his own advice. "Stand quiet, and do not make any sudden moves. It could set them off."

Signum recognized the seriousness with which he was speaking and decided to heed his words.

"Do not show fear, they'll attack if they perceive weakness." Continued the Slider.

"What will attack? What are you talking about?" Interjected Signum as she slowly brought her hand to her weapon.

"Look about, we're surrounded." Answered Shirou, "When you can, cut my hands loose. There are too many to fight alone."

Signum was about to smack him for trying such a dumb trick when she caught a slight movement out of the corner of her vision. Her eyes widened a moment later as she was able to see what Shirou was referring to.

It was hairy. That's the first thing that came to Signum's mind. The creature was covered in rough black fur. If it stood on its haunches it would be five feet tall. Its back hunched and its arms trailing almost to the ground like a monkey. Its head seemed to jut out of its shoulders, more mouth and nose than anything. Its face looked like a mutated sickly mole. The creature's angry, beady eyes staring intently at her.

It was easily the ugliest creature she had ever seen.

"What is that?" Asked Signum with no small amount of disgust coloring her voice.

"No idea, but they don't look friendly," Answered the Slider. A moment later she was surprised to hear his knuckles pop as he tightened his hands into firsts. "And I sure as hell don't like the way they are looking at you."

"They?" Asked Signum, a moment later she had to force her expression to freeze.

They were surrounded by at least two score of the creatures, a number of them in the trees. If she tried to take flight with her prisoner in tow, they'd likely get swarmed before clearing the treetops.

All of the creatures were staring straight at her and panting in a perturbing matter, each clutching crude but deadly weapons.

"Signum, listen to me very carefully." Said Shirou with no emotion in his voice. "We are not getting by here without a fight. When they attack, I need to be able to support you, or neither of us is getting out of here alive. I give you my word I will not leave you stranded. Can you please trust me?"

Signum deliberated for a few moments before nodding. "Yes I can trust you." She said before smirking. "Not that I am left with much choice."

Following some unseen signal the creatures rushed forward with surprising agility. Levatein left its scabbard faster than an eye could track, cleaving through Shirou's bonds in a gleaming silver arc.

Signum threw the jeweled weapon at Shirou before turning and cutting through one of the things squat neck.

Shirou caught OS as it spun towards him, "OS! Pole arm!" Screamed the slider, twirling his partner once in his hand.

With a multicolored flash, the weapon changed mid-twirl, becoming a long, beautifully crafted pole arm, its long blade cleaving through one of the attacking creatures with ease. The bizarre sight caused the hairy abominations to step back, giving the two humans a moment of reprieve.

Cradled in Shirou's hands was a beautifully crafted weapon. Its long sapphire haft shining with a radiance that put the precious stone it so resembled to shame. Its long serrated blade, keen enough to rend both armor and flesh with equal ease, would eclipse the most ancient of emeralds in its glory. A red tassel hanged from the sword breaking notch on the blade's back, shifting in an inexistent breeze like a small hypnotizing flame.

Held in Shirou's arms like a natural extension of his body, was a Chinese Guan Dao. It's cruel edge would normally be used to cut a running horses legs out from under it. A weapon eight feet in length, it was said to weigh over a hundred pounds, ensuring that only the strongest of men would be able to wield it in battle. From the effort Shirou showed as he held it, it might as well have been a feather.

It was the Green Dragon Crescent Blade. A weapon with few peers, it was said that the spirit of its legendary wielder Guan Yu rested within it, granting those who fought with it his unmatched skill with the unorthodox weapon.

The two warriors stood back to back, the movement easy and well coordinated.

The creatures hesitated, not even a full second had passed and already two of their number had fallen. They did not have much in the way of sapience, but the group as a whole wondered if they had perhaps bitten off more than they could chew.

While the creatures deliberated on how to proceed, the two humans chose to take the decision from them.

As one they rushed forward, Shirou's belligerent baritone accompanied by Signum's lighter tenor. They fell upon the indecisive creatures like a storm of razor sharp steel.

Within the first few moments of their engagement five of the creatures were dead, two clutching at throats sliced open by Signum's quicksilver thrusts and the other three disemboweled by Shirou's wide sweeping strike.

Shirou turned, the twirling the guan dao as he did so, its serpentine movements resembling the weapon's namesake. His dancelike movements inflicting horrid injuries as he moved from target to target. Splaying open the belly of one of them and spilling its intestines on the ground, he utilized the momentum of the great pole arm to cut through the primitive weapon of the next, bisecting its owner a moment later in a shower of gore and allowing the blade to turn his body towards the next target, cleaving the skull of the next creature before it could finish its swing and splattering its gray matter across its maddened companions.

If Shirou was dancing to the tune of war, then Signum was the embodiment of lady death. She dispatched her foes with utilitarian attacks, always making sure to strike vitals, cutting the throat of one, stabbing through the eye of the next, kicking dust into a group before cutting arteries and caving skulls.

The difference between the two humans and the creatures would be evident to any who looked. The vile smelling things fought in a horde, milling and pushing each other to and fro in their attempts to reach the two humans. Each desiring to be the first to draw their blood.

The two humans fought in what looked to be a coordinated dance, exchanging the lead back and forth between them. One moment Shirou would charge recklessly into the thick of the fight, sending the things reeling with great sweeping swathes of his weapon while Signum made sure to cover his back and stop any attacks to his flanks. The next instant, Signum would engage three or four of the creatures at once with Shirou guarding her back, standing as tall, proud, and immovable as a castle wall.

Within a few minutes, of the two score creatures that had attacked them, only eight remained. Five of those died as they sought to flee. Of the three that managed to leave the site of the carnage behind, only two were able to escape. The third wailed in agony as it was impaled against a tree by the green blade of the guan dao.

Panting, covered in foul blood and even fouler fluids, Shirou turned to Signum and made a very simple observation as he waited for the creature to die so he could retrieve his weapon.

"Signum…We're gonna need a bath."


	11. The Witch

The Santo triumphantly returns!

And he even brought a snippet!

Here ya go. (〜￣△￣)〜

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Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg sat in the water, doing what he could to compute the eight-thousandth nine-hundredth fifty second number of pi.

"C'mooon boooooooos." Sibilated OS. "Just think about it. The milky white smooth skin. The adorable hair settling across her wet back. Those two soft mounds, their peaks standing in the cold air _**begging **_for your attention as droplets of water glisten on her skin like diamonds."

Shirou sank his face into his palms and tried to convince himself the very heavy blush on his cheeks was caused by the water.

"And you, lady!" Continued the weapon. "You know you want to turn around and look at the muscles of that strong back shifting beneath that layer of skin. The water falling down those broad shoulders in rivulets. Running your tongue over his flesh in order to get a taste of the sweet liquid as you wrap your arms around him to run your hands over his powerful chest. Causing his excitement to mount until he can no longer resist his animalistic desires, making him turn around and sweep you off your feet only to push you to the ground and claim all that you are in a fit of torrid passi-"

"SHUT UP OS!" Screamed the duo in perfect synchronicity, turning at the same time to take a swing at the prismatic weapon, only to catch a glimpse of the other's eyes and immediately turn back around with a heavy blush coloring their entire face.

"Wohoo!" Said OS jovially as he splashed around in the no man's land between the Slider and the Knight.

Immediately after their fight with the ugly creatures, labeled by OS as 'those _ugly_ Fethers' the dirty duo had walked around until they found what was either an exceedingly large pond, or an undersized lake.

Shirou had lamented the fact that the water would be ice cold, but he was desperate to get rid of the stench and so pulled cleaning supplies out of one of his Handy Haversacks. He always carried a supply of a few different types of soap around with him as he had learned in the past that they could be in short supply in certain 'verses.

Cleanliness is next to godliness after all.

As the young slider bemoaned his luck, Signum dipped her sword into the water. She expended a cartridge and heated the entirety of the pond to such a degree that it began to release steam.

Considering the amount of raw magical energy such a thing required, Shirou resolved to do his best not to get on her bad side, OS notwithstanding.

Shirou had offered to wait until she was done, but Signum had refused him. The longer he waited the harder it would be to remove the things' fluids, giving the stench a chance to permeate his clothing. And she did not want to waste more magical energy re-heating the pond.

Shirou had agreed with her logic, and proceeded to give her what privacy he could. Once they climbed into the water, the two of them had opted to look respectfully away. They made use of OS' extremely limited locomotion to ferry Shirou's cleaning supplies back and forth between them.

They had not counted upon the prismatic weapon making the already embarrassing situation as awkward as possible.

"I don't suppose you have a gadget that we could use to quickly dry out clothes do you?" Called Signum.

Shirou shook his head before realizing that she likely was not looking at him. "Can't say I do Signum. We'd just have to make a fire and dry them there. I have a few sets of clothing, I could let you borrow one if you'd like?"

"That would be much appreciated."

"Oh! I see what's happening here!" Interjected OS. "She's going for that incredibly sexy 'only wearing a shirt' look! The way the shirt covers everything that needs to be covered while leaving just enough tantalizing flesh displayed would indeed be a godly thing!"

"Shirou." Called Signum.

"Yeah?"

"If I stick OS underwater, will he drown?"

"No."

With a quick and violent motion, Signum snatched OS and dived under the water's surface. She stabbed the weapon into the ground by her feet, sinking the blade to the hilt.

"Pity." She said once her task was complete and she emerged from the water.

As they finished their bath in silence, Shirou was plagued by a single and basic thought.

'_Why didn't I ever think of that?'_

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"So." Said Shirou as he cooked dinner over an open campfire, being very conscious of where he directed his gaze and lamenting the absence of the spices he had used to distract Zafira. "Think we'll find a town soon? I don't carry that much food on me at any one time."

Signum sat with her legs pulled up in front of her, resting her chin on her knees and wrapping her arms around her legs. She was wearing one of Shirou's shirts and had wrapped herself in a blanket to stave off the night's chill.

"I don't know." Was her answer to the slider's query.

Shirou remained quiet for a few moments before speaking. "Thinking about the family?"

Signum simply nodded. "They are probably worried to death for me right now."

The slider poked at the fire for a minute before speaking again. "Must be nice that…having a family I mean."

The blue eyed knight regarded him for a few moments. "What do you mean?"

Shirou smiled and shook his head. "Long boring story. Don't worry about it."

"We don't have much else to talk about."

Shirou absently stroked the fire higher. Signum took his silence to mean the conversation was over and paid closer attention to the dancing flames.

"Like most of my alternatives, I was the sole survivor of an enormous fire." Said Shirou slowly, causing the rosette's sapphire gaze to settle on him once more. "Pretty big thing, little over five-hundred people died in a few hours. I had nightmares for years afterwards.

"Anyways, that's not the important part. Virtually all of my alternates are picked up by an ex-mercenary and assassin: Kiritsugu Emiya. They grow up with the wish to become heroes, and varying degrees of proficiency at this. A few are trained correctly and become a force to be reckoned with at an early age. Most are not though, and are rudely disabused when they reach sixteen years of age, entering a contest of life and death. Sometimes surviving. Sometimes dying. Sometimes they live on but are just…broken. Against all odds, emerging victorious more often than not.

"A few are found by one Kirei Kotomine, the one who was responsible for causing the fire in the first place. Sometimes they are found shortly after Kiritsugu saved them, losing his life in the attempt. Other times Kiritsugu failed to find anything. They grow up a little bit twisted, but overall alright as a person…mostly.

"Still others are found by other people, organizations, Legends. Growing up to be different people who value different things.

"Me? I was found by Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, Wizard Marshal and master of the Second Magic, the Kaleidoscope. When he found me, he was hit by a stray thought: 'What if I am doing things wrong? What if instead of breaking the best and the brightest in my attempt to make them my apprentices, I take someone empty and fill them with what I want?' And so, he saved me and took me in.

"He raised me for a few years, taught me what I know about the kaleidoscope. He was kind of ditzy and overall sucked as a parent. But I love the guy, he is the only old man I've ever known, secondhand memories notwithstanding. Sometimes he would go for months at a time, leaving me in the care of his 'granddaughter' she and I became pretty close.

"Sometimes he would leave me in the magic association of my planet, which in and of itself was dangerous. I ended up being taken care of by a guy of the tower, Lord El-Melloi the second. His real name is Waver. We played videogames.

"When I was ten, my old man gave me OS and then abandoned me."

"_WHAT!"_Interrupted Signum for the first time, outrage strong in her voice. "What type of monster would do that to a child!"

Shirou tilted his head. "What do you mean? He'd taught me all I could learn so he had no more reason to hang around."

Signum's fury was such that the chill of the night was completely banished. "He _adopted _you, that means he had to take responsibility and raise you until you would be able to fare for yourself!"

"But…he did. I've been on my own sense then and I turned out alright."

"That's not an excuse!"

"Bu-"

"NO BUTS!" Screamed Signum pointing at his nose, having shot to her feet at some point in the conversation. "I swear people like him deserve to be-What?" Said Signum when she realized Shirou was pointedly looking away from her.

His entire face as red as his hair, Shirou cleared his throat. "I ah…hem…it's just that…well you see."

The ground beside him trembled until OS managed to poke his blade out of the ground from where he had been buried.

"He can't look away from your creamy white thighs! The desire to run his tongue over that delicious flesh overwhelming as he-mph!" Screamed OS to the high heavens before Shirou's foot descended and pushed him back into the ground again.

Signum was sitting and wrapped by the blanket again faster than the eye could perceive, her cheeks colored a bright red.

They ate dinner in silence.

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"Say Signum, why is your clothing different?" Asked Shirou as they walked through the trail.

"I only call upon my barrier jacket during battle." Answered the knight, dressed in a black form-fitting blouse, a white coat, and jeans. "This is what I put on so that I could search for you back in Mid Childa."

"Ah." Answered the slider, debating whether or not to tell her she looked cute.

"Partner thinks you look cute lady." Said OS, taking the decision from Shirou, causing the slider to plant his face in his palm in order to hide his red cheeks.

Signum simply snorted and shook her head. "How much longer until we can make a hop back home?" She decided to ask after a moment of silence.

Shirou scratched his head. "Still at two weeks. Pulling out the Green Dragon yesterday drained me something fierce."

Signum remained quiet for a few moments. "Is that why you made all those arrows yesterday?" Asked the knight, referring to the pair of quivers that dangled on Shirou's hip, each filled with fifteen heavy, steel broad-headed arrows.

Shirou nodded. "Alteration is a relatively low prana-cost procedure. This allows me to still be useful in a fight, conserving my prana to get us out of here. OS has a charge enough for one prism-trace that cuts down on our time here by four days if I expend it as such. But I'd rather keep that for emergencies."

Signum nodded. "How much…prana, do you need to make a weapon like yesterday? That was an exquisitely crafted polearm."

"Something that strong, just about my entire Odic capacity. My alternates would be able to make it with less than a tenth of the energy it takes me. Unfortunately I don't have the same element and origin."

"Then what about a bow? Those arrows won't fire themselves."

"OS can turn into a bow that some of my alternates use. Because firing a bow is second nature to most of them, I sort of absorbed the art of the bow by osmosis. I'm not as good as most of them, but I'm a pretty decent shot. It's also a lot cheaper than turning OS into a Noble Phantasm or other mystic code."

Signum remained quiet for a few moments. "Are you talking about the device you used yesterday?"

"Ahh, no, different terminology. That was a Noble Phantasm, basically what that means is th-"

A loud scream cut Shirou's explanation short. After a short pause, the two of them rushed forward in order to see who had made the terrified sound.

Signum activated her device, transforming it into a longsword without calling on her barrier jacket. Shirou unsheathed OS, who sensing the state of mind of his partner, wordlessly changed into a long black bow. It seemed to be made of some type of metal instead of wood, its string made of the same material as the bow. Its tensile strength ensured that most grown men would be unable to as much as string it, much less use it effectively.

The two of them crashed through the shrubbery into a small clearing, and saw that a kid with rust colored hair was about to be killed by one of the ugly things from the day before. Shirou knocked an arrow, drew, and let fly in a single fluid motion, the heavy broad-headed arrow crossing the distance to his target in an instant. Its steel tip rent its way entirely through the creatures head and impaled it against a tree where it sagged, standing upright thanks to the arrow that slew it.

Shirou pulled one more arrow from one of his quivers and nocked it, ready to repeat the motion where it to become necessary.

"W-Who are you?" Asked a blond girl near the place where they had come out, doing what she could to hide a black haired woman behind her. Shirou turned to answer her question, whereupon he froze.

"I-Is that a tiny naked winged man?" Said Shirou with honest curiosity in his voice.

The aforementioned tiny naked winged man perked up, his ears pointing to the skies as he let out a squeak of surprise. "Wait you can see me?"

"Shirou, you might need to call that weapon from yesterday out." Said Signum as she pressed her back to the slider's.

Shirou shook his head to clear it of distractions and directed his eyes around. They were surrounded by roughly the same amount of the ugly creatures as the day before.

"Well, crap." Was Shirou's succinct summation of the proceedings as the kid with rust hair scampered until he stood beside the two girls.

Signum gave Shirou a fierce smirk. "And to think we cleaned our clothes just yesterday hu?"

Shirou's smile was as vicious as hers. "Pain in the ass."

The creatures stalked closer, stepping out of the shadows and formed a rough circle about them, herding the child and two women until they stood beside them.

Two of the creatures sniffed the air and faltered, making frantic grunts and screeches before pushing back at the rest of the horde. The advancing trolls slowed before coming to a grinding halt. After that, the other creatures began repeating the foul sounding noises before slowly backing away. They were soon retreating in earnest, glaring daggers at the Knight and the Slider in the process.

"T-They are retreating?" Said the blond haired woman in a weary voice, the brunette with her made infantile mewling sounds as she was kept away from poking at Shirou's hair.

"Wow." Said the little winged creature. "I never would have thought that trolls would retreat from a meal. Wonder what scared them off?"

"So these things are trolls?" Asked Shirou as he put away his arrow and walked to the creature he had killed and worked at retrieving his arrow.

"Ya didn't even know that?" Asked the redheaded kid as he stalked over to pick up the sword he had dropped next to Shirou. "Anyways…thanks for savin' me." Mumbled the kid.

With a grunt of effort Shirou managed to dislodge the arrow from the tree it had been buried in, splashing troll brain matter across the ground, but being careful to get none of it on his clothes.

"Any time." Answered the Slider as he cleaned the arrow with a rag.

"Shirou!" Called Signum with discomfort heavy in her voice. "Help me please!"

Shirou turned and had to fight the urge to laugh at what he saw. Signum was having to fight off the advances of the brunette as the latter tried to molest the poor Signum. The blond haired girl failing in her attempts to dislodge the girl from the knight.

"Alright alright." Said Shirou walking towards them and placing OS on his back.

"Wow! Casca has really taken a liking to you lady!" Called the fairy as it zoomed around over their heads.

"It doesn't look sexual." Remarked Shirou clinically. "It's more like an infant that wants to suckle her mother's breast."

"That's all well and good now get her off me!" Roared Signum as she fought off the advances of the girl.

Shirou was about to enter the pile to attempt to separate them when a powerful voice roared over them, accompanied by the sound of pounding boots.

"Hey! What's wrong!" Called a deep bass, its owner speaking with the cadence of one used to having to make themselves heard over the din of a battlefield. Moments later a very tall man became visible as he crashed through the brush, his tall muscular frame tensing when he caught sight of the slider. His right hand reached for a hilt that stuck out over his right shoulder.

"Lady Farneze!" Called another man with hair the color of dirty straw, reaching for a weapon when he saw Shirou trying to wrestle the brunette.

Shirou retracted his hands. "Easy there," he said. "Just trying to free my friend from your friend." Said the Slider, tilting his head up to meet the brown eye of the taller man. The top of his head would barely meet the chin of the black cloaked swordsman.

"Hey Guts don't hurt him! Him and that chick saved us from a bunch of ugly trolls." Said the redheaded kid.

"Oh yea!" Hollered the blue haired fairy. "We haven't introduced ourselves yet! How rude! My name is Puck! That kid is Isidro, the one trying to kiss your friend is Casca, that girl is Farneze, the big one is Guts, and that other guy there is Serpico. Who are you guys?"

Shirou was rather confused by the rapid-fire introductions and responded without thinking. "Name's Shirou, she is Signum, nice to meet you."

"I gotta ask." Said the fairy as he floated in front of Shirou's eyes. "How did you make the trolls run away?"

"Ahh. Probably because Signum and I killed a whole lot of the things yesterday."

The fairy's jaw dropped open at Shirou's easy declaration. In order to make trolls afraid of them, then they would have had to have annihilated an entire horde by themselves.

The tall man, Guts, stepped closer and interjected into their conversation. "Isidro just told me what happened. You have my thanks, those two are very important to us." Said the giant as he extended his right hand.

"Yeah, anytime." Responded the slider as he shook the tall man's hand.

With a flash of multicolored light, the bow on Shirou's back changed back into a jewel sword half-sheathed at his hip. "Oh god boss whatever you do stay away from that thing! It's like solidified insanity and malevolence! Keep it away!" Exclaimed OS shrilly before sinking into his scabbard and trembling like a terrified pup.

The silence of the group was palpable. The only sound that could be heard was Signum's continued struggle not to be molested by the brunette.

"D-Did your sword just talk?" Said Farneze with awe and fear in her voice.

Shirou sighed.

'_Dammit OS.'_

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"That is one big tree house." Said Shirou as he stood staring at a…well…rather large house on top of a tree.

"But...It looks like the house is growing out of the tree rather than having been constructed there." Mused Signum as she looked at the tree house with a critical eye.

"The mana here." Muttered the Slider slowly. "It's…cleaner. It still holds trace amounts of whatever taint permeates everything. But…most of it is filtered out by something, maybe a barrier."

"Bwahahaha! Look a' this thing! Looks like a big fat ugly midget!" Said Isidro, breaking Shirou out of his deliberations as he kicked a tall statue that seemed to be made of earth.

"Oh that." Said Shirou. "That's a-"

"A rock statue, called a golem." Said the blue haired fairy flying near his head.

"Oi oi oi oi oi! Don't ruin the surprise!" Said OS from his perch clutched in the fairie's hands.

"Oohhhh you're totally right! I _do_ have much to learn." Answered Puck with wide eyes.

"Heh! I have not spent the last thirteen years trolling my partner for nothing!" Said the prismatic weapon with a great amount of pride.

"The fact that your weapon can talk still gives me the chills." Said Guts in his deep bass, his voice resembling boulders grinding against one another.

Shirou stopped his muttered list of the many things he would do to get revenge on OS, "And the monster you have on your back will never fail to give me nightmares." He said with a smirk. "Guess we're even eh?"

The giant of a man smirked right back, he did not know why, but he had taken a liking to the lad the moment he laid eyes on him.

"I-It wasn't a dream after all." Said the old man they had picked up on their way there, his voice chocked and heavy with emotion. "A long time ago some kids found this mansion. I was one of them, but no one ever believed me, so many years had passed that I began to think it was all a dream."

"Something wrong?" Asked Farneze as Casca palmed her chest and mumbled.

Guts stiffened a moment later. "Isidro! Get away from that thing!" Screamed the black cloaked swordsman.

The boy was too busy laughing to pay attention to the older man's warning however. "Hey guys look at it! It has an afro! Bwahahaha! An afro! A friggin afro!"

As if it had heard the child, the mud statue stepped forward and lunged at him, causing him to step back with a startled yelp.

Moving much too fast for a human of that size, Guts was beside Isidro in a heartbeat and cut the arm of the statue at the shoulder with his sword.

Shirou however, would never call that weapon a sword. It was much too big, too heavy, and far too rough.

It was akin more to a slab of raw iron.

The Dragonslayer roared as it separated the golem's other arm from its body. Shirou could sense a palpable feeling of disappointment emanating from the weapon. Frustrated that blood had failed to flow from the creature it cut.

Shirou stepped back, gastric juices fighting their way up his throat. How did Guts not _feel _that? OS landed into his sheath a moment later, having wrenched himself form Puck's grasp. Once inside his sheath, the weapon trembled.

"Stop! The story!" Screamed the old man as he tried to force his way forward. His progress stopped by Serpico.

"Not the type of enemy you talk to old man, stay back!" Said Guts as he hefted the enormous weapon. What he was about to say next died in his throat as the golem drew from the earth beneath its feet and regenerated its arms.

"This day just gets better and better." Muttered Signum as she readied Levatein. Shirou directed his gaze in the same direction and saw a score of smaller earth golems sneaking up on the group.

"I don't know if I should be scared or laugh." Said Isidro, mirth bubbling up from his throat.

Shirou drew OS and activated the parallel feature, after a multicolored flash, Shirou was holding a roughbladed machete as he set himself in a position to guard Signum's back.

Farneze shuddered at the unnatural display.

"Not using the bow today?" Asked Serpico in his calm manner, his easy smile and slanted eyes failing to reveal whatever thought's happened behind closed curtains.

"You try shooting arrows at the ground and seeing how useful that is." Responded the slider as he cut into a waist-high golem with the machete, splitting its head in two and kicking it off his blade, when the creature fell to the floor it crumbled apart.

"True." Answered the serving man as he stabbed into the stomach of another.

Their fight continued as such for the next several minutes, the golems continually torn apart and regenerating.

"Dammit!" Screamed Isidro, frustration clear on his voice. "These guys are not hard but they get annoying!"

"What I am wondering." Said Shirou as he absentmindedly cut another one of the clumsy golems in two. "Is why you are so experienced with an enemy like this?"

"Meh, we fight worse every night, these guys are not hard by comparison."

Signum kicked the same golem for the third time, glancing down; she saw a small totem, earth forming around it as the golem sought to rebuild itself. Quickly smacking two more out of her way with a sweep of Levatein, Signum forcefully tore the totem out of the regenerating golem. The pile of earth that had been forming ceased its movements.

"Everyone!" Yelled Signum as she crushed the small totem on her palm. "There is a small totem imbedded on the golem's chest symbol! Destroy that and they'll stop moving!"

Guts smirked.

Bringing the enormous weapon around in a wide arc, he cut a great number of the small constructs apart before splitting the large one he had been fighting against in twain. Keeping his eye open through the small storm of dust his attack kicked up, he hit the totem as it fell to the ground, pulverizing it and causing the golem he had fought to finally die.

With that knowledge the party began to quickly dispatch the golems. After about two dozen destroyed golems, the rest that had been shuffling toward them stopped and backed away.

"What the?" Said Isidoro as he hefted his stick, waiting for them to walk forward.

"Why did they stop?" Muttered Guts a moment later.

Shirou looked about, his eyes settling on the door to the tree-mansion. "It's an invitation."

The group turned to see a young girl in a black robe and a pointy hat. A gnarled wooden staff, taller than she was, clutched in her right hand. Wordlessly, she turned and walked back into the mansion.

"What should we do?" Asked Farneze as she clutched a dagger in a white knuckled grip.

"It's a rare invitation." Answered Guts. "Let's have an audience with the witch."

The party stepped inside, following the silent girl through the mansion's winding corridors. She opened a door to what looked like a tea-room rather than a meeting chamber, and spoke for the first time. "I brought the visitors, mistress."

"Welcome, to the palace of the spiritual woods." Said an elderly woman, handsome in her age as she gave off the same presence as a kindly grandmother. From her eyes glinted ageless wisdom and a keen intellect the likes of which would put the most learned of scholars to shame. A moment later, her face broke into a kind smile. "Please forgive my pupil's impoliteness, she acted rashly in fear of my safety. My name is Flora, mistress of this mansion."

The party retained their silence, in awe of the presence of the woman in front of them.

"Waitaminit!" Said Isidoro, his voice resonating in the silent chamber. "She's the witch? But witches are supposed to look like ugly ghosts with a wrinkled nose!"

His declaration caused most of his party to plant their faces in their palms.

"Y-Y-You rude monkey!" Whispered the witches apprentice with outrage in her voice.

Flora simply chuckled as she tried to stifle her mirth, before breaking into unladylike guffaws. "Ohh. Thank you, I'll think of it as a compliment." She said once she managed to regain control of her amusement.

The old man from the village stepped forward with trembling legs. "Y-You are…surely, the same as that time!"

Flora looked to him with a kind smile. "Ohh, you are the boy from that time, correct? It has been a long time. Please, give me a moment child, visitors." She turned her powerful gaze to Shirou and met his eyes, her smile widening as she brought her hands together. "Wanderer, it has been such a long time! My, you even look at least eighty winters younger! You must tell me your secret!"

As the eyes of everyone present turned to Shirou, a particular pair of sapphire orbs boring into him with an intensity powerful enough to knock him prone, Shirou knew to say only one thing at the witches familiar address.

"W-What?"


	12. Memories of Fakers

Hello, I return with another snippet.

This one penned by One Piece of Infinity. It would appear that my own series of snippets inspired the guy, and he based it "sometime in the future of my own series of snippets."

Do Enjoy:

I was bored and wrote a random snippet, sorry if it's bad

Memories of Fakers

"Well, this is nostalgic."

Shirou stood before a large Japanese house, his trench coat billowing in the wind as he stared with fond eyes at the home he, or rather, most versions of him lived in, and which one probably lived in at that current moment. Slowly, he reached forward, his fingers brushing the…

"Uh boss, we've been standing here for the past thirty minutes already. What's so fascinating about this house?" OS asked from his belt, genuine confusion and impatience colouring his voice. Shirou sighed, and retracted his hand, used to but still annoyed by the weapon's complete inability to read the mood.

"Don't you know OS? This is the house I could have had, if circumstances were different," Shirou said softly, his eyes glazed over in memories, "If Emiya Kiritsugu had found me rather than my old man, I would have lived in this house, like most of my templates; lived an action-packed but orderly life, fighting for an ideal which I have never had; rather than this pointless chaotic jumping we always go on." He stared intently at the house again, hoping to catch a glimpse of the occupants. Was a version of him really there, living his life relatively peacefully? Or would he see Sakura, the purple-haired girl who always visited; or Rin, the tsundere genius magus, or Taiga, Illya, Saber – the names tumbled into his head, fond memories from his countless templates, but none of whom he had met in person.

Surprisingly, OS stayed silent at his side, not even making one normal witty remark on his behalf. Shirou broke off his examination to glance at the sword. "You feeling alright there OS?" he asked incredulously, "You're pretty quiet today OS, not a single innuendo or weird insult?"

"Why are you bringing this up now Shirou?" the sword asked sullenly, "Aren't you happy with what we've been through: you and me, jumping through the multiverse, experiencing all there is to experience?"

Shirou gave a short bark of laughter, then rested his hand on the gate once more, "Aha, our old motto. We haven't really mentioned it in a while, have we? I still remember how we first made that one up…"

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"Shirou, come here for a second. I've got something to give you before I go," Zelretch said, his tone tinged with uncharacteristic warmth. Shirou ran over with all the enthusiasm youth could bring, his golden eyes wide as he wondered what his normally cold father had brought him. "What is it dad?" he asked eagerly, rubbing his hands together in anticipation, small trenchcoat billowing into place behind him.

With a small grin, Zelretch whipped out something from behind his back: a sword made of crystals, which seemed to glow from within. "This is the Kaleidosword, something I decided to make just for you," he said solemnly, "He'll take care of you when I'm gone. I've loaded him up with all sorts of features, and most importantly, the ability to travel through the multiverse. Can't really call you my son or apprentice if you couldn't do something basic like that can I? Go on, hold it," he urged, giving the child the glowing sword.

"Whoa, cool!" Shirou exclaimed, waving the sword around like a mini hurricane, striking poses every so often, like the comic book superheroes he heard about every so often. As he held the hilt, the light inside the crystal sword grew brighter, and suddenly a voice said, "Scanning. New owner found. Identity: Shirou Schweinorg. Settling into normal functions."

Shirou stopped quickly, and stared in amazement at the weapon in his hand. "Whoaaa, that's soooo cool‼" he gushed, his eyes twinkling as he held the sword closer to his face, trying to peer deep into the depths of the crystal. "Why thank you partner! It's always nice to be appreciated, even before we've been introduced!" the sword suddenly boomed out, causing Shirou to drop the sword in shock, "Though I can't say I really like being dropped so quickly, I'm not an inanimate object, I got feelings you know?" the sword continued, voice muffled slightly by the grass.

With a sigh, Zelretch picked up the weapon, and held it aloft. "Thank you creator man! Anyway partner, I'm the Kaleidosword, created in Kaleido Inc., made out of the very best quality jewels there is in the multiverse, and instilled with the finest quality programming and abilities there is in the universe. And all the other ones too. You can call me 'OS'" the sword announced happily, as Zelretch handed it over to Shirou once more.

"OS here will take care of you in the multiverse. It'll teach you how best to wield to it. So don't worry about anything. Anyhow, I'!" Zelretch said, disappearing in a sudden blaze of multi-coloured light, leaving Shirou standing alone in the field, clutching the sword like a lifeline. A wind blew, causing Shirou's trenchcoat to undulate slightly. "Uh boss, I think you just got abandoned," OS concluded, his tone somewhat confused as well as amused.

felt tears slowly ooze out of his eyes, shocked at the sudden abandonment. His earlier happy mood had completely vanished, and he felt like he had been punched in the gut. His lower lip quivered slightly. "Hey, hey, hey partner partner, whatever you do, just don't cry okay, be a big boy," the sword stammered, even as the tears starting tracing a path down Shirou's face, and sobs starting shaking his small body, "No no no I really can't deal with crying children, dang it partner I just got switched on don't do this to me," OS pleaded.

Shirou started crying.

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Later when he calmed down, OS addressed him in a serious voice, "So partner, you all good now?"

Shirou nodded, the shock fading away. It wasn't even like the first time his old man had randomly left him in some random place to attend to his own needs.

"OS, what's going to happen to me?" he asked somewhat meekly, his large adorable eyes staring desperately at the jewel sword. "Well…." The sword started, somewhat intimidated by the display of cuteness from the small boy. OS thought desperately of ways to cheer the boy up, lest he start crying again. Good god it did not want to go through that again.

Suddenly it got it. "Well what we're going to do partner is simple really," OS started shining brilliantly, voice changing to that of a pioneer trying to rouse his peers, "What you and me will do Shirou, we'll be charging through the multiverse before us! We will experience all the wonders of every universe out there, revelling in the adventure, bedding all the babes, finding all there is to find out there together, until all the secrets of the universe are at our feet!" Suddenly, OS' voice changed, turning slightly mocking and hysterical, "AND THEN WE WILL FORCE ALL IN THE UNIVERSE TO THEIR KNEES, AND TAKE OVER AS THE SUPREME RULERS: SHIROU AND THE WONDERFUL MAJESTIC KALEIDOSWORD. WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-"

OS stopped, as he noticed tears trace down Shirou's face once more, "Oh god no please-"

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"Good times," Shirou concluded, even whilst OS shuddered at his side. Shirou grew solemn once more, as he remembered everything that had happened since then, all the things he had encountered, all the pain, misery and heartbreak he had encountered throughout the multiverse. "Maybe…it's time we stopped OS," he said softly.

A sudden shriek behind him quashed any response OS could give. "What! Shirou!" a woman yelled, her Kansai accent familiar yet different. Before he knew it, Shirou was falling face first to the ground, tackled from behind. Even as he tried to get up, he felt a pool of moisture on his back. "Shirou." The woman murmured, before realising that she was practically forcing his face into the pavement. She got up quickly, smoothing her clothes over, which allowed Shirou to finally get a glimpse of his mysterious assailant.

She was a breathtaking woman, a Japanese woman with brown hair streaming down her back. She was dressed in red, with crosses placed at seemingly random spots on her shirt, above a long brown skirt. Her blue eyes met his own, and she smiled serenely, before abruptly freezing.

"Wait a second. Yellow eyes? You haven't had those in years." She studied him closer, taking into account his clothing, normal skin colour and red hair. She drew back, her eyes narrowing. "Who are you?" She demanded, her hands reaching slowly to her belt where expensive looking jewels were buckled.

"Partner what is with you and powerful magi woman?" OS chirped from his belt, his tone slightly mocking, "I'm sure they're good in bed and all, but really, if you piss them off, they tend to act supremely violent towards everyone. You remember Signum whenever I teased her a little bit?" the sword continued, no doubt consciously dooming Shirou to a violent death. He shoved his trenchcoat over the sword, and started stammering an apology to the woman, who he expected to look like a demon with a miasma of death surrounding her.

To his surprise, her eyes were clamped on the part of his trenchcoat OS was shoved behind, somewhat calm even despite the insults the sword had uttered. "Wait…is that…a Kaleidosword?" she asked slowly.

"Uh…yes?" Shirou asked, unnerved more by her calm nature than he would have been if she had been shooting laser beams at him, like that red headed woman he had passed the other day. He was surprised when she suddenly straightened, "You're Zelretch's kid aren't you?" she asked, blue eyes piercing in his.

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"As I thought. The old bastard did mention during my apprenticeship that he had adopted a Shirou a long time ago," Tohsaka Rin said, leaning back into the couch whilst sipping from a cup of tea. They were seated in a large living room, decorated resplendently with expensive items, inside the Tohsaka manor which she had dragged Shirou to. OS lay on the table, silent for the moment, whilst Shirou processed the fact that his old man had actually mentioned him to someone.

"He didn't mention that he had randomly dumped you in the multiverse, though I can't really say I'm that surprised. He's an absolute god at his work, but kind of a dush at everything else," Rin concluded, eyes narrowing as if she was remembering a particularly bad memory.

"So tell me Shirou, what brings you to this universe, that house in particular? You're not an Emiya, so you wouldn't have had any fond memories there in the first place, no reason for you to stand there and gawk like an idiot," she said, her voice diplomatic despite the slight insult. "I was just standing there admiring the view," Shirou replied, his tone unreadable, not quite trusting Rin despite the memories of his numerous templates deeming her to be trustworthy. "Really?" her eyes narrowed, "There are plenty of traditional Japanese houses in this universe, why that one in particular?"

"What were you doing there?" Shirou shot back, somewhat annoyed by the prying. To his surprise, Rin blushed, "I-I-I was just passing through of course. I-It's not like I was trying to see if you were there," she stammered, eyes looking all over the place, embarrassed for some strange reason.

OS burst out laughing, "Hahahaha, oh wow that is one of the best displays of tsundere I have ever seen, EVER! HAHAHAHAHA-" the sword suddenly silenced as a pillow slapped down over it by an enraged Rin.

An awkward silence ensued, one which Shirou was uncomfortable breaking. His emotions surged inside him, beneath his implacable exterior. All his instincts were yelling at him to just answer her question, his multiverse counterparts were practically yelling at him for not trusting her; and yet, Shirou wasn't comfortable revealing something he had decided on just an hour earlier. Finally, he decided to risk it.

"The truth is…I'm…a bit tired of the life I'm leading. One of these days, I'm going to gruesomely murdered by some interdimensional demon, or by a horde of angry magical women. I was thinking, whether I should just settle down, live like an Emiya, a Shirou who is satisfied simply helping others, cooking meals, living a peaceful life," he said slowly, his tone sullen. Tohsaka stared at him, her earlier embarrassment forgotten.

"You, who's been granted an opportunity most magi would kill for, wish to renounce your identity just like that?" she gritted out. She seemed to be strangely angry, as if offended by his attitude. "You want to waste your life away, trying to be someone who you, who doesn't have the same roots, could never be? Give me a break. Just be thankful for the opportunity you have, the privileges you out of all the Shirous there are have," she said.

Shirou stood up, annoyed, "You're saying it's not right to wish I didn't have to live a constant life of danger? What's wrong with wanting to be who I should be, an Emiya Shirou?" he demanded, hackles raising slightly.

Rin suddenly calmed down, taking a deep breath. Suddenly she replied, "Let me tell you what's happened to this version of Emiya Shirou. During the Holy Grail War, he fell in love with his servant Saber, but was forcefully parted. He was heart-broken afterwards, and couldn't form any decent relationship afterwards. All this while, he tried his very best to be a hero of justice," she said the terms slightly distastefully, "But he couldn't see that all he was doing was destroying himself. I tried my best to help him, but in the end, he left Fuyuki completely, and began travelling around the world, trying desperately to uphold the only thing he really has in his life: the ideal he inherited from his dad, even as he is constantly betrayed by it. Even now, he's probably on a battlefield, fighting desperately for his life, trying but failing to protect everyone, even as his world falls out from under him. That's why I was so happy when I saw you, I thought he had finally realised his mistakes and quit his ideal. So you see why I'm so annoyed that you, someone who was lucky enough to not be cursed with such a flaw, wanted so hard to be him, a broken empty shell."

Shirou stood for a second, his mouth agape. Without a word, he grabbed OS and left, slamming the door shut behind him. He wandered, not knowing where he was going, until he find himself at a rather familiar place: the Fuyuki Memorial Park, the place where Zelretch had pulled him from the flame rather than Kiritsugu Emiya.

"Was I wrong OS?" he wondered, "Am I really just throwing a tantrum over nothing?"

OS was silent, then replied solemnly, "No partner, I don't think it's wrong, what you want. It's just that, what would you do? Can you really live a life like what you described, without all the experiences you've come to get used to?"

Shirou remembered everything he had gone through, the good and the bad, his fond memories of the people he had met, the kindness he had seen again and again, the battles he had enjoyed. Was he wrong, he asked himself, is it really right to just reject everything, bury my head in the sand? Suddenly he realised that it would be impossible for him to live a peaceful life like that. He'd probably go insane in the second week.

He shook his head. "I really am hopeless ain't I?" he asked, not really addressing anyone. "Yep, you are a massive idiot who only survives by pur-"OS was silenced once more by Shirou's trenchcoat. Shirou sighed, then held up OS, and began focusing mana into the Kaleidosword, causing it to shine with kaleidoscopic light. "Alright then OS, let's get going. We've stayed in this universe long enough," he said.

"Finally, I was getting really tired of all that teenage angsting,"the sword snarked, "Oh, oh oh no one in this world can understand the plight of an unfortunate such as I, oh oh oh."

Shirou merely grinned, and the kaleidoscopic light intensified. "HEY RIN," he yelled, knowing fully that she was spying on him from a nearby tree, "THANKS A LOT!"

"Right then partner, let's go: through the Multiverse, to experience all there is to experience," he said, swinging OS to create a rift. He caught a short glimpse of Rin smiling at him from nearby, before he was gone, sucked through the rift to places unknown…


	13. A Date

This snippet was penned by Zhead.

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There were very few things that could surprise Shirou Schweinorg now. As the son of Zelretch and being a slider, he has seen so much that almost nothing surprises him anymore. Which is why he was not in the least bit surprised when a dimensional transfer portal opened up beneath him and deposited him into the Clock Tower. Or to be specific, the Wizard Marshall's quarters. Within arms reach of his friend/short-time-fling/sister(DONOTWANT)/sometimes-lover Arceuid Brunestud.

"Shirou!" Or rather, caught in her arms and being tightly squished into the ditzy True Ancestors' ample chest. In hindsight, that was unexpected. While most people would enjoy such a situation, the lack of oxygen would not be a motivating factor, given the young man's frantic movement.

"ARC! AIR!" The blonde vampire blinked, then 'oh'ed and let her friend go. Who proceeded to gasp and breath hard. "GAH... Arc... I thought... we talked about those hugs..."

"Awww, but I missed you! You hardly visit me as is! " That is an accurate portrayal of her facial expression, by the way. Shirou scratched the back of his head, a habit shared by all Shirous, and sheepishly looked to the side.

"Um... Sorry?" She kept staring at him. "Anyway... I'm guessing the old man brought me here for a reason besides spending time with you?" Let it be known that Zelretch enjoys sticking Shirou with Arceuid. If anything, their meetings ALWAYS provide some kind of entertainment. And blackmail. Delicious blackmail.

"Yep, that I did." Shirou did not squeal like a girl. Nor did he end up grabbing Arceuid in a panicked hug. That would be out of character, and I'd be a lying narrator then. "I see you're doing well kid. How's OS?"

"Just fine, Old Boss. Got some more data for ya." The strangely quiet sentient tool spoke. The blade had kept completely silent since exiting the portal, a fact that the young slider was now starting to realize. But before he could voice his thoughts-

"Good, good. Shirou, I'll need to borrow him for a while. After that, I'll tell you why I dragged you here. In the meanwhile, show Arcueid around London. And try not to let anyone in here see her, hmm?" Taking the weapon from the boy before said boy could process his words, the Wizard Marshall quickly made his esc- calmly left the room. Upon realizing what his father said, Shirou reacted as any sane person would.

"... GOD DAMMIT OLD MAN!"

"Shirou, that's rude." Indeed it was, Arcueid.

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It was a strange thing really. The passing by magi didn't even heed its' existence, merely acknowledging that it was there, but compelled by forces unknown to simply leave the thing be. After all, it wasn't their mess, so why should they clean it? Even if the same magus noticed it in two different places in the same day, they would ignore it anyway, once again for reasons no one would ever understand. It's power was so great, not even Einzbern homonculi or even the Queen of the Clocktower herself were bothered to inspect the item.

This was why Shirou respected this gift he had received during one of his exploits in the past, specifically in Costa Rica, circa 1974. No one ever payed attention to this particular item, so it was easily the best to use for sneaking in unknown areas. Truly, the Box was the greatest gift to man... For infiltration. And private time.

"Neh, Shirou, how long till we can stand up?" Arcueid whispered from behind him. The red-head kept peeking out from the grip of the box, observing the magus standing near the exit to the building. Had the situation been less tense, Shirou might have been bothered by the fact that the two of them were practically squished together. Having Arcueid's arms wrapped around him would not have helped.

"Just a few more minutes Arc. We're almost out." Shirou tensed as he saw the magus move away from the door. Slowly turning the Box to observe the rest of the room, he slowly began moving towards the door, making sure not to cause too much noise, while Arc just followed his lead.

"What is that?" They froze. Shirou gulped; someone actually noticed the box? Madness! Magi are too steeped in their mentalities and work to even bother with something like a box. The footsteps got louder and louder as the unknown magus approached the box, stopping next to it. "... Unbelievable... There's actually someone else who knows about that series? ... Zelretch. This is definitely his joke." A sigh. "May as well get it over with." The box was lifted, and then dropped to the side. Shirou looked up to meet the eyes of Load Lord El-Melloi II, Waver Velvet. The silence was palpable, broken when Waver looked at Arc, who waved at him. Wordlessly, the older man lifted the box, and placed it back on the two. "This never happened, as long as you give me the box before you leave, understood?" The box began moved towards the exit, before being flipped over as a red and golden blur rushed through the door. Shaking his head, the Grail War survivor picked up the box and took it back to his room. "As troublesome as his old man..."

Gasping hard, Shirou leaned against the wall, silently thanking whatever God that decided to be nice to him that he was found by Waver. Shame he lost the box, but sacrifices were necessary. "So, Shirou, what do we do first?" He turned to the True Ancestor, who was staring at him with a happy expression, as she voiced her question. Looking at her again, he noticed she was wearing the same old white sweater and purple skirt she always wore. He recalled asking about why, and her response was something along the lines of 'continuity or something Jii-san once said.'

"First, let's get you something different to wear. Someone might recognize you in your signature clothing." And maybe a haircut. It was trailing down to her thighs, for pity's sake. Then again, it was rather appealing as well, specially when- He rapidly shook his head. Lewd thoughts later, pseudo date first. Shirou froze; it seems his mind finally realized he's been thrown on a date. And his old man and probably OS as well planned it. Any other thoughts he had were swept away when Arcueid grabbed his hand and dragged him off, running in whatever direction she felt like.

Somewhere, in an isolated room inside the Clock Tower. "And, it starts. Are you recording this, OS?"

"Of course, Old Boss. So, what do you think the chances are they'll run into someone they know?"

Zelretch smiled. "Well, my other two students are here at the moment, and Tohsaka brought along her man slave as well..."


	14. The Horseman

*tsk tsk* You guys really need to start paying attention to these author notes.

There appeared to be some confusion as to where this snippet was in the last update or why I did not continue it. But this here be a collection of drabbles from several people...I just sort of happened to have penned over half of them myself. :P

Anyways now that that is done.

Santo comes back with a snippet! ( °Д°)

*sniff* I own nothing (TTwTT)

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"W-What?" Said Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg as the witch, Flora, spoke to him with a rather familiar tone.

"I honestly never expected to see you again Wanderer. I wish you would have sent word ahead of you so I could prepare a proper celebration! Quickly Schierke, go and gather the wine. I recall the Wanderer was quite a drinker!" Said Flora animatedly, twin spots of excitement making themselves known on her cheeks.

"M-Mistress?" Said Schierke, shock plain on her face as her Mistress continued to chat excitedly.

Shirou was doing something that only OS' most outlandish pranks ever managed.

Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg was speechless.

Flora was a very powerful and ancient witch. Like any normal human a tenth her biological age, her physical capabilities had begun to deteriorate as her body aged. Her mind however, was untouched by the ravages of time, and as an extension so was her magic. It was much easier for Flora to sense the aura about a person. As such, she had come to trust in her metaphysical senses more than she trusted her physical ones.

When the young man walked into the room, she felt a presence she had not felt in eight hundred long years. A presence she remembered perfectly. An aura that was large, solid, and warm. Giving off an almost physical glow, a glow that was all colors and none, shifting from one to the other while being completely static.

Then she sensed something else, something that was missing, a small detail she had almost forgotten.

This young man did not carry the scent of blood upon him. Instead, he smelt faintly of smoke and steel, of sulfur and charcoal. This man had seen conflict. Been a part of war.

But blood had failed to permeate his existence.

Flora paused, her eyes boring into the young slider's. "You…no you are not him." Said flora quietly, causing the eyes of her pupil and guests to turn back to her. Such was her concentration that she failed to notice them. "You are similar…yet not. You carry his knowledge, but not his skill.

"Tell me child. Are you the son of Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg?"

"Y-Yes ma'am." Answered Shirou immediately, unconsciously adopting the manner one took when speaking to a mentor. "My name is Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg. Adoptive son of Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, Wizard Marshal, the Kaleidoscope."

"I see, I imagine it must have been difficult. While he was a perfect gentleman, he did not strike me as the fatherly kind." Said Flora absentmindedly. After a small shake of her head, her eyes sharpened as she assumed a more brisk manner. "What brings you to these parts Wanderer? The turbulence in your bearing must be grave indeed if it can affect a man of your mental fortitude."

Shirou scratched the back of his head, unsure of how much he could and should reveal to the woman in front of him. "Well, honestly my companion and I are rather…lost. We are, stuck here until I manage to reserve enough energy to get her home."

Flora nodded and spoke absentmindedly. "And seeing as to you cannot take the mana from the Greater Source, this time will be long."

Shirou started at her easy declaration of his plight. When she noticed the slider's shocked expression she chuckled. "Your father would go on and on about how much of a pain it was to access a world whose magical energy was not tainted. Seeing as to you said you were trapped here, I assumed that you lack the skill to do as he did. Correct?"

Shirou nodded numbly. "One hundred percent ma'am."

Flora smiled. "Then I have a proposition for you Young Wanderer."

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Shirou sat at the top of the mansion, staring at the moonlit forest surrounding it.

Even knowing the horrors it hid and housed, he could not help but feel that the forest was beautiful.

Light footsteps alerted him someone was approaching, prompting him to move one hand near a concealed knife on his person. Even if this place was supposed to be safe, it never hurt to be careful.

Schierke, the witch's apprentice, stepped up to the roof and walked towards Shirou as the latter sat idle. "Mistress instructed me to tell you that dinner is ready and your presence is requested at the dining room." Her message given, the small girl turned and began to make her way back inside.

"Mind if I eat up here?" Called Shirou back to her before she made her escape, causing her to pause.

"Why?" Asked Schierke in a flat tone.

"I have a feeling I'll be making them uncomfortable. Whenever anyone other than Flora and Guts looks at me…well…I don't like seeing fear in the eyes of other people." Answered the slider as he turned his eyes back to the skies.

"Mistress said you would say that." Answered Schierke. "She also said that the answer to that question is 'no' and that she would 'love the pleasure of your company.'" With that the girl turned around and headed back down.

'_Man…what did I ever do to her?'_ Wondered the slider as he stood and made his way down.

Once he was seated with a half consumed plate of steaming vegetables and fruits in front of him, Shirou had to grudgingly give them something.

They knew how to cook.

Strangely enough, no matter where one went in the multiverse, there was _no_ Shirou who was not a cook. No matter the place, circumstances, rearing, limitations or reasons. No matter that simple natural logic dictated one of them _somewhere_ should not know how to cook. Every Shirou in the multiverse had one thing in common.

Shirou cooked. He took pride in his skills as a cook. He was extremely defensive of his kitchen and cooking rights.

And he would shamelessly steal any recipe that took his fancy.

"It has nuts." Muttered Shirou absently, staring at the mid-distance while focusing on nothing, a state of being that gave one clarity of mind and increased their awareness of their surroundings. Perfect for responding to an attack.

Or concentrating all of one's attention into a difficult task.

"But it also has berries and a rather stale tasting leaf…and while normally these would not go well together, the leaf softens the texture of the nuts while canceling some of the taste of the too-sweet berry…genius."

Flora watched the young slider with a supremely amused (and somewhat smug) expression on her face.

"With a dinner of leaves and fruit I don't feel like I'm eating." Said Isidro as he shoveled the contents of the plate unto his mouth with a total disregard of table manners. "It's delicious tho."

Schierke absently told him that it was good for his body, quieting herself when OS spoke rather boisterously.

"An' this one nigh' I found me this little knife I tell ya! Cute innocent little zing, had not cut a ting in 'er life 'afore! What did boss do? He BROKE her! And I TOLD him that I was itchin' fer a date!" Slurred OS, as Puck leaned against him with a small cup of wine cradled in his hands.

"I feel yaur pain OS." Answered Puck, his blue hair moving in a chaotic pattern as he nodded his head with enthusiasm. "Life iz cruel like tha'. Like Guts 'ere! 'You need a warm bed' I tells 'im 'You should accept her offer' I tells 'im 'I'd like to cuddle against her she is warm' I tells 'im.

"But does he listen? NO!" Puck ended his sentence with a belligerent belch, before he concentrated on draining the contents of the cup with the desperation of a man in a desert.

Absently and with little thought, Shirou and Guts took hold of their respective drunk and shoved them into the container's they usually carried. OS slamming into his sheath, while Puck was unceremoniously thrown into a small sack on Guts' belt and the top of the sack tied shut.

"Ohh lemme tell ya, boss is a cuddler!" Said OS, his voice muffled by the sheath he had been shoved in. "I'm surprised he has not given the pink-haired lady the puppy dog ey-"

"Shut it!" Interrupted Shirou with no real hope on his voice.

"-es! She would MELT! And she's called the Blazing General. I betcha that fire would go places! Bow Chika Wow Wow!"

Chewing a hole through the cloth that kept him from freedom, Puck poked his head out of the sack and addressed the sword sheathed at Shirou's hip. "Not at all like Guts here! You should see the guy! He ask's them e' does 'Do you want rough or gentle?' then he just does em ta break 'em he does!"

As the sword and the fairy continued to bemoan their luck, those seated around the table refused to meet each other's eyes. Shirou and Guts had planted their faces into their palms in a movement that had a strange synchronicity.

Shrike and Farnese sported blushes bright enough to light up the night, not at all helped by the fact that Evarella, Shrike's fairy companion, kept egging the two on by making small comments about what a woman would want. Isidro looked confused and Serpico amused.

Signum sat coldly composed, still taking dainty bites from her meal, outwardly untouched by the topic the two were hollering about. Her rosy cheeks completely demolished the cold façade she attempted to put up.

Flora for her part, did what she could to stifle her mirth. She had not had this much fun for at least six centuries.

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Signum Yagami sighed as she slowly settled down into warm, blissful heaven. The steam rising from the hot bath which was at just the right temperature. The numerous plants present both in the stone tub and the room itself. The soft herbal fragrance. All helping her relax.

Sounds of a quick struggle could be heard floating in from the window for a moment, followed closely by a high pitched squeal.

"And next time I see you trying to peep I'll cut out your eyes and castrate you! Did you hear that!" Screamed Shirou, his outraged yell vibrating through the wall. Signum chuckled for a while, before settling herself more comfortably into the tub with a small warm smile adorning her features. Pointedly ignoring OS' voice as he used flowery prose in an attempt to convince Shirou to peep, stopping with a pained squeal as a thump was heard from the wall.

The door opened softly, causing Signum to start as she did what she could to protect her modesty. Flora stepped inside the bathroom and started when she realized Signum was present.

"Oh my!" Said Flora, covering her mouth and making an apologetic motion. "I am so very sorry! This is the time I normally come in for a soak! I did not realize someone was present."

"D-Don't worry about it ma'am." Said Signum, her own cheeks coloring as she tried to calm her heart, for a moment there she'd hoped that-

Quickly shaking her head to come back to her senses she realized that the older woman had not exited.

Flora smiled at the pink haired knight. "Would you mind if I join you for a soak? It is not often I have a fellow woman to chat with."

Before Signum could get her bearings, Flora had disrobed. While she sputtered, the witch washed herself. It was not until Signum finally regained her bearings, that she realized Flora had sunk into the large tub opposite her.

Flora let out a contented sigh. "Nothing takes the weariness off these old bones like a warm bath. Do you not agree young lady?"

"Ah, Y-Yes." Answered Signum as she covered herself self-consciously.

Flora began to chuckle. "Child, I am approaching a millennia in age! Believe me when I tell you, you have nothing to be ashamed about. In fact I must admit that were I a few centuries younger, I would find myself quite jealous of your assets!"

Signum's face colored further and she averted her gaze, her embarrassment causing the old woman to struggle in order to contain her mirth.

They proceeded to soak in silence for a while. Signum slowly becoming more relaxed in the old woman's presence. They proceeded to chat about a few inconsequential things, until Flora schooled her expression into calm.

"Child, there is a thing I must inquire of you." Said Flora.

Signum merely looked at the old witch and nodded, waiting to see what the woman might want.

"As you know I asked of my pupil to deal with the trolls plaguing the nearby village and the branded ones will go with her. The Young Wanderer will accede to my request of accompanying Schierke and keeping her safe. I understand you are traveling with the Young Wanderer, yes?" At that moment her eyes hardened, her light colored eyes hardened and the full weight of her millennia old presence crashing upon Signum pinning her in place as effectively as a mountain.

"Understand child that I bear you no ill will." Continued Flora in a tone devoid of mercy. "It is not obvious, but one such as I can see that you are not fully human. Yet neither are you Apostle.

"I will not take unnecessary risks where the life of my pupil is concerned. What are you young lady?"

Signum was frozen by shock until another emotion barreled its way forward.

Fury.

"I am." Said Signum in between clenched teeth the temperature of the room increasing as her anger radiated from her in the form of physical heat. "Loyal. A warrior. And a woman." Answered Signum, meeting Flora's eyes in an open challenge.

Flora looked at the younger woman, her face an unreadable mask, before her features once more softened unto that of a kindly grandmother. "I see, good good." Her proclamation made Flora settled herself more comfortably on the water, "Aaahhh~ These old bones can't help but adore the heat of this bath."

"What?" Asked Signum with a cold expression, unamused at the older woman's easy demission of her.

Flora merely smiled. "Child, I apologize that I offended you, but it is obvious that you are not a bad person. Even someone without magic could see the purity of your belief once you stated it so clearly. I can see that you are not fully human, but you are obviously not an apostle. And much more pure than many humans out there. That is something to be proud of young lady."

"I see." Answered the Knight, not changing her chilly expression or manner.

Flora smiled. "Now that we can leave the unpleasantness behind." Flora's smile widened until it became something predatory, causing a shiver to run up Signum's spine and her skin to break out into gooseflesh. She recognized that smile. "What is the relationship between you and that young rogue?"

Signum's blush was so bright it could have put the water to a boil. "W-W-W-What?"

Flora's giggle reminded her too much of Hayate. "Oh child don't be like that. Even a blind man could see the way you look at him!"

"I do not!"

"Not only that but you two get so shy in company of one another. Ooh! The beauty of youth!"

"Now listen he-!"

"So how close are the two of you? For the young wanderer's weapon to be so open about it your relationship must be quite…heated."

"Wa-wa-wa-wa-wa."

Flora's face changed from playfully teasing to dead serious in an instant.

"Already expecting a child?"

"WE ARE NOT-!"

"Oohhh what are you going to call it if it is a girl? I have the _perfect_ name!"

"I-Buh-It-I-Hu?"

After that she could contain her mirth no more and Flora fell into unladylike guffaws while the poor Signum did what she could to regain her composure.

Once she got her laughter under control Flora spoke. "Ahhh, that was such a good laugh! I must say I wish the Young Wanderer and you would have come visit much sooner.

"You know…you remind me of me when I was…ohh…seven hundred years younger. There was someone I wanted as well. But like you, I was weighed down by duties and insecurities. And so I never reached out. I never caught him, never embraced him. It is the single thing in my life I can tell you I honestly regret.

"What I am trying to say young lady…is that be mindful of your duties, be careful of your trust. But one thing you must remember. You only have one life, _live it._"

Signum was once again pinned by the personality of the woman in front of her. A shiver ran up her spine once more and she simply nodded, lapsing into a thoughtful silence.

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"Urgh, sorry for inconveniencing you." Said Shirou as he half-walked/ was half-dragged by Signum as he stumbled along on the trail towards the old man's village.

"Not a problem." Said Signum without any strain on her voice, a thing that surprised both Shrike and Farnese. Signum did not look too muscular yet she was able to support a good portion of the young man's weight for over an hour, a feat that neither one of them could have accomplished for even a few minutes.

"Buugah!" Said Caska intelligently as she attempted to snatch OS from Puck's grip for the umpteenth time.

"Haha! You are a quintillion years too young if ya think such a basic attack will work against me!" Said OS with a terrible imitation of a pirate accent.

"What's a quintillion?" Asked Puck and Evarella as they dodged yet another of Caska's attempts at snatching the sapient blade from them.

Ignoring the three stooges as Shirou has christened them, Shrike stepped up to the young slider. "I'm so very sorry, I had thought that if you attempted the ritual of the four spirits you would be able to use the magical energy of the world like my teacher and I." She said with some amount of shame in her voice. She had been quite surprised when the redhead had begun to projectile vomit halfway through the ritual.

"I-It's not too much to worry about. It worked for the most part, but even a small amount of the corruption in the air is quite toxic to me. I'm amazed that the magi of this world have developed an immunity."

"S-Still I'm so very sorry!" Said the girl as she bent at the waist.

"Meh. Ya owe me breakfast and let's call it even eh?"

"Y-Yes."

Stumbling on a rock, Shirou ended up putting more of his weight on the pink haired knight. A weight she absorbed without a problem. When he attempted to give her some relief from the burden she tightened her hold on his arm and hip.

"Tch. I swear you are worse than Zafira. He always has to be dragged kicking and screaming to sickbay, and he will insist on walking himself there even if he has two broken legs." Said Signum in an exasperated tone.

Shirou grinned. "Man if you think _I'm_ stubborn you should meet a few of my alternates."

"Shut it, if you have breath enough to complain save it for walking."

"Yes ma'am."

Guts called up to him from the back of the group where he preferred to walk. "And here I thought you were tough. Never would have thought that a little magic would make you throw up like a kid on his first chariot ride."

"Shaddap."

"Hey boss!" Yelled OS. "Village ahead!"

"Ugh finally, I could use a bed." Mumbled Shirou, the mere mention of rest causing him to sag tiredly, eliciting a grunt from Signum and making him do what he could to relieve her of his weight.

"Don't get too complacent." Said Signum as Shirou once more supported enough of his weight to allow her to talk comfortably. "They _have_ been having trouble with those creatures."

"Trolls." Supplied Puck as he zoomed about with OS making infantile sounds as Caska jumped about trying to catch him.

"Yes trolls. We do not know when the next attack could happen so we must remain alert."

"Meh what's the worst that could happen?" Wheezed Shirou.

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"Don't you _dare _say I told you so." Said Shirou as he stood drenched and chilled to the marrow, retrieving whichever of his arrows had survived the deluge Shrike had summoned to wash away the trolls.

Signum smiled and looked at him pointedly without speaking.

"On second thought." Said Shirou after a few moments. "Go right ahead…I think I would lose a little less of my masculinity that way."

The widening of her smile was Signum's only response.

Shirou sighed and discarded one of his quivers. He'd only managed to retrieve four arrows, bringing his total to eighteen. All the others had been washed away with the bodies of the trolls.

"C'mon!" Called Guts as he strode out of the village in direction of the forest. "We are wasting daylight!"

Wordlessly the two began to stride forward with Guts, Isidro, and Schierke. Serpico having been wounded during the skirmish, remained in the village. As they walked, Shirou could detect a palpable feeling of satisfaction from the slab of iron on Guts' back. Glad that it had drank deeply of enemies blood, yet far from satiated.

Shuddering, Shirou concentrated on his surroundings whilst keeping an arrow nocked with just sufficient force to draw it quickly, yet not enough to tire his arm for a while.

"Are ya sure we're movin' in the right way?" Asked Isidro after a while, looking around nervously, the shadows of the trees lengthening and becoming more menacing with each step that took them deeper into the forest. "It's like the opposite of the witches mansion, place gets creepier by the minute."

"We are tracing the lingering presence of the trolls, I am sure it's thi-" Shrike was interrupted as Shirou pushed her somewhat roughly to the side, drawing the arrow he had held to his bow to his cheek and taking aim down the trail.

"Enemy movement ten o' clock." Murmured Shirou. Guts tensed mere moments after the declaration was made, his hand moving to the handle of his weapon.

Shrike straightened from her half-stumble and, not recognizing the meaning of his words, looked in the direction Shirou pointed.

Remaining as steady as a rock, the tip of the arrow was pointed at a small lumpy shadow. The small creature came shuffled into a patch of light a moment later, its bulbous outline resolving into something that looked much like a grown man's head supported on a pair of lumpy legs.

"A face…What the hell? It's a face. What's a face with legs? How is that possible? It's a face!" Babbled Isidro as he failed to understand the creature in front of them.

"Uuuuuuu! Think we can keep it as a pet?" Asked Evarella, causing a shudder to go up the kid's spine.

"Wait, leave this to me." Said Shrike, putting a small hand on Shirou's side. She then closed her eyes and murmured a few words, causing the creature to start, its too human face adopting a grimace of fear and scampering away.

"What the hell was that?" Asked Shirou as he eased the draw on his weapon.

"It is an evil spirit of the mountains and rivers." Said Shrike absentmindedly. "I had been afraid of this, the trolls have led us into the dark domain of the spirit realm: Qliphoth. This should not be possible, the material world should not overlap so vividly with the spirit realm."

"Didn't you say that Flora's mansion was partly in the spirit realm?" Asked Signum as she looked around her, seeing spiders, frogs, fungi and other things of the forest, all of which had heads shaped too similar to a human for comfort. Their eyes too bright with the spark of intellect.

"That is different. The mansion and the field around it function as an anchor from which the spirit real may bleed into the material in a small controlled amount. Allowing for warm hearted spirits to help in the growth of plants and granting a place of stability in which they can rest.

"But for the spirit realm to directly overlap with the material, so much so that a person can simply walk into it without the use of rituals…it should not be possible."

"That's all well and good." Said Guts as he forced his way forward, causing everyone to give way as if getting out of the path of a boulder. "But none of that is helping us get our people back. Let's keep moving."

The rest of the group followed his suggestion in silence, quieted by the atmosphere surrounding them.

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Shirou rushed forward, deeper into the complex tunnels of the troll cave, doing what he could to match the pace Guts set. The images bleeding into his mind from the link Signum had set up with Shrike sickened him, raw fury pounded through his veins as he rushed forward to the place they had been told Guts' companions were.

The trolls would die. Each and every one.

He would not stop, he would not be dissuaded. Every single troll would die he would make sure of this.

No matter how hard he tried though, the Black Swordsman had longer legs, and so broke through the opening in the cave into the place the trolls had been r-

A red mist cut the rest of that thought off even as it formed, Shirou stepped up next to Guts as the latter emptied his repeating crossbow into the trolls. Shirou proceeded to imitate the Black Swordsman, emptying his quiver into the packed mass of trolls, each of the heavy arrows claiming the lives of two to three trolls as the tensile strength of the bow propelled them through the creatures.

Surprised by the sudden attack, the tide of trolls fell back, deeper into the corridors of the cave that served as their lair.

He faintly heard Shrike call to the citizens of Enock, causing hopeful cries to be uttered. Shirou did not notice.

Guts' trapped companions ran to the Black Swordsman, Caksa growling at him while Farnese thanked him. Shirou did not care.

A flood of trolls bled out of the tunnels, scores of the ugly creatures barking at each other in their disgusting tongue.

"T-There are this many left? There's more now than when they attacked the village." Muttered Isidro with fear in his voice.

Guts stepped forward, reloading his repeating crossbow. The gift from Godo would claim the lives of these creatures as well as it did the lives of humans. "I'll handle them here, you guys take the villagers and go ahead." He said as he tossed his pouch with the explosives he preferred at Isidro.

"That's crazy! These many trolls by yourself without any backup-!"

"He won't be alone." Said Shirou, cutting Shrike's tirade mid-word. Dismissing the bow form, Shirou began to utter his incantation. He had the perfect template for this. Guts looked at the younger man before turning back to the horde of hesitating trolls, accepting Shirou's statement without reproach.

"B-"

"Go." Interrupted Guts returning the stare of the countless trolls as they swarmed forward not unlike cockroaches.

"Urgh! Men!" Said Shrike as she stomped on the ground and walked away.

Signum strode forward, walking to Shirou from the adjacent tunnel in which the women and children of the village had been kept. "If you are staying then so am-"

"Occult Hunter, Engage." Vocalized the young slider as he finished his incantation. The Occult Hunter Template was based on a version of Shirou saved from the Shinto fire by a traveling hunter investigating the strange events occurring in Fuyuki during the Fourth Holy Grail War. With nowhere to go, he accepted his saviors offer to adopt him and spent the entirety of his childhood learning the ways of his father's occupation. While he never discovered his magic circuits, he became a master at Formal and Ritual-Craft while also having developed a proficiency with mundane weapons that few could match.

He was dressed in a tattered black shirt with darker splotches in the fabric, blood stained jeans, and black tennis shoes. A tattered brown coat on his shoulders, its shoulders had stitching that took the form of a pentagram. Holy symbols of many different religions were also stitched on. Cradled in his bandaged hands was a Model Twelve Winchester pump-action shotgun, its barrel sawn off to a very illegal length. Two knives rested on his belt, and the grips of two pistols could be seen pushing against his coat from a shoulder holster.

He turned to Signum, the right half of his face having transformed to a burnt scarred ruin. His right eye remained the molten gold she had become accustomed to while his left had changed to a steel grey.

When he spoke, his voice was raspy, not unlike the voice of those whose throats were damaged from years of smoking. "Signum, please accompany the villagers. You know as well as I do that we ran past a good many trolls, they'll need someone that can protect them."

Signum remained quiet, stunned by the change that had come over him, before her expression hardened and she nodded to him. "If you dare die I'll kill you." Said Signum as she trotted and called out to the group of villagers, leading their retreat with Shrike and Isidro, Levatein shining like a torch as the group retreated.

The trolls took that as their cue to attack, coming forward in a way that resembled an avalanche more than a horde. Guts opened fire with his crossbow, killing or incapacitating trolls as they rushed forward. Shirou opened fire with the Winchester in the intervals Guts used to reload, buying the older man time to open fire again, then reloading as the Black Swordsman held back the tide with the deadly bolts.

The tide of trolls ebbed as they fell upon the wounded, biting into them with gusto. Even wounded, the trolls would not go quietly and fought back, wounding others of their kind, causing a small localized feeding frenzy.

Trolls never stopped bleeding from the tunnels, more and more of them crowding the cave and joining the feeding.

"Coming out in droves like cockroaches." Said Guts as he put away his crossbow and drew the Dragonslayer, a palpable feeling of glee emanating from the weapon. "Hey ugly! When's the last time you had yourself a good old massacre?"

The right half of Shirou's face broke out into a frighteningly morbid grin. "Call it about five years, sunshine."

Guts grunted his assent. "How many did ya kill?"

Shirou racked the slide of the shotgun, and loaded one more shell into the tube magazine. "Lost count after a hundred and eighty, I was not in the most rational frame of mind at the time…still have nightmares about it."

Guts gave him another grunt. "Not too shabby." He then leered at the crowd of trolls as they were pushed forward by the press of bodies. "They look mighty hungry don't they?" A manic light entered Guts' eye, "What say you we mulch 'em up into ground meat?"

"I'd say that it sounds highly unsanitary." Answered Shirou wryly, a light just as malignant entering his mismatched eyes. "And it's the first intelligent thing you've said sense I've met you."

The Winchester snarled and the Dragonslayer roared as the slaughter began.

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Signum grunted as she slew her umpteenth troll, a hollow boom to her left signaling that Isidro was still covering her flanks. Signum wanted nothing more than to burn all of the vermin to ash, the things they had been doing to the women and children of the village assured she would grant them no mercy.

To her chagrin however, she did not dare engage the trolls with anything more than flame-clad steel. Any of her more powerful attacks would cause heat to wash over the unprotected bodies of the village's survivors.

"Stop!" Called Shrike, bringing their group to a halt.

"What's up?" Asked Isidro as Signum used the moment of respite to calm her breathing and recuperate.

Schierke grimaced. "We're caught in between two groups, eighteen up front and twelve from behind."

Signum nodded, tightening her grip on Levatein and transforming the blade into a long serrated whip with a flick of her wrist. "You two hold back the ones coming from behind us, I'll take care of the one's coming from the front."

"B-But that's suicid-" Midway through her sentence Shrike wobbled on her feet and sank to her knees.

"What's wrong!" Yelled Isidro.

"Something's, something is."

Before Shrike could wheeze her explanation, there were a series of sickening cutting sounds coming from the tunnel in front of them, Signum immediately snapped Levatein back into his normal bladed form and settled into a guarded stance.

A black wind flew past her in an instant, rushing over the heads of the villagers and racing further into the tunnel.

"What tha?" Said Isidro as the black wind rushed past him and enveloped the trolls, the moment it reached them, their headless bodies fell to the ground.

"No time keep moving!" Wheezed Shrike in the edge of consciousness, urging the group forward once more.

Signum stood and ignored them, letting them pass. She had to fight every instinct screaming at her to rush down the tunnel in pursuit of the black wind. Her lips parted and uttered three words.

"A black horseman?"

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Shirou was in awe of the Black Swordsman, having never seen such a display of savagery.

Guts moved like a black whirlwind, the Dragonslayer cleaving everything in its path in twain. Trolls fell in groups of three, five, and six, their foul blood and intestines covering the ground and transforming it into treacherous mud.

Even so, Shirou had his worked cut out for him. Guts had waded forward into the thickest concentration of trolls, leaving Shirou to stand resolutely at the mouth of the tunnel the others had fled from, blowing the heads and legs off of any troll that managed to slip past the black colored whirlwind.

The Winchester has been incapacitated long before when a group of trolls slipped past Guts when the Black Swordsman had slipped on the muddy ground, forcing him to take a moment to regain his momentum.

Out of the nine, seven had died with their heads exploded or stomachs ruptured by the snarl of the Winchester. The eighth had died as his head was bashed in with the stock. The ninth had buried his crude stone axe into the weapon, the sheer force behind the brutal attack enough to severely damage the shotgun.

In retaliation, Shirou disemboweled it with his silver plated knife. Drawing a Beretta 96 from one of his shoulder holsters, he proceeded to support Guts in any way he could.

When the floor was littered five deep in trolls, what remained of the vermin stood trembling against the wall, the farthest they could be from the Black Swordsman and still remain in the room.

Shirou looked at the collection of scratches Guts had acquired as the latter absently pulled what looked like a spearhead from his arm and tossed it carelessly to the side. He then looked to his own twisted ankle and worthlessly hanging right arm.

"How the hell is it that you do most of the fighting and _I'm _the one that got hurt the most?"

"You suck. But still, those hand canons of yours seem pretty useful. Where can I get me a fe-" Guts suddenly froze, looking down into the pool of blood and innards that had gathered at the floor.

"What's up?" Asked Shirou, his hand tightening on the Beretta, his index finger resting lightly on the trigger.

Suddenly a voice filled with sensual, torrid heat reverberated through the cave. "**It's been such a long time since I've inhabited a body."** Said a pale, lovely figure as it ascended into Shirou's field of view, his body reacting in very physical ways to the lascivious hunger that rolled off her tone. "**I must admit however, these troll intestines are rather lacking as a host."**

Shirou and Guts stood befuddled for a single moment, until Shirou broke their silence with the first thing that made it past his physical desire and mountain of disgust.

"That has _got_ to be highly insanitary."

A moment later Guts screamed in rage and jumped off the ground toward the figure, roaring as he brought Dragonslayer up in an arc that would split the creature in twain.

His attack halted as the…creature brought forth a pair of black wings and forced him to the ankle deep blood on the floor.

"GUTS!" Screamed Shirou as he uselessly emptied the magazine of his Beretta, the forty caliber rounds thudding uselessly into the pale and rather lovely body of the thing that had captured the Black Swordsman.

"**Oohh? Wanderer is that you?**" Asked the creature as Shirou wordlessly reloaded his pistol. "**My my my… It has been such a long time. Far too long in my opinion~****.**"

It stalked forward, dragging Guts out of the blood and holding him close to its body almost as an afterthought. It slowly, sensuously licked its lips, a wide smile, promising pleasures uncounted taking form in her lips.

Shirou wordlessly brought the Beretta to bear, and emptied all fifteen rounds into her center of mass. This time it had an effect.

An almost palpable feeling of arousal emanated out of the rather disgusting construct.

"**I was not pleased when you rejected my advances the last time we met.**" Said the thing as it slapped the pistol out of Shirou's hand. It then lifted him by the neck and pressed him close to her body, where he proceeded to draw his cold iron dagger and bury it to the hilt in her eye.

"**Ohhh **_**yeeeeeees!**_** It has been **_**much**_** too long since I've had prey that fought back. Grant me a minute Wanderer, I need to prepare the Struggler for our…activities.**" Its declaration made, it dropped Shirou to the ground with enough force to crack his ribs. It then planted its foot directly onto his chest and pushed him against the ground.

It removed the dagger from its eye and brought Guts up to its eye level. It then slowly, almost lovingly, cut away the straps holding the Black Swordsman's chest-piece in place. "**Now, show me your strength. Your rage. Your fear!**" Demanded the apparition, its voice gaining in pitch and excitement each time it uttered a word.

"**Let me drink of your pain.**" Murmured the creature into Guts' ear with the intimacy of a lover before burying Shirou's dagger into the man's flesh and raking his back with its talons.

Guts' scream of fury, pain, and fear threatened to blow out Shirou's ear.

"**Defy me Struggler! Fight! Struggle! Scream!**" It punctuated each of her words by raking its talons across Guts' flesh. "**Pierce me with this large thing! Grant me agony...Unless…Do you want to make a sacrifice?**" It finished its sentence by languidly biting Guts' earlobe. The Black Swordsman's only response was a pained, hate-filled growl.

"Hey!" Called Shirou from beneath its foot. It looked to its captured prey and stared down the barrel of another hand-cannon.

In Shirou's hand was a legendary Mystic Code, the closest any weapon made in the modern age could get to becoming a Noble Phantasm.

The Shirou of the template grew up with a very simple truth. Those who live by the sword, die by the sword. As such, the man who raised him made sure he understood one very simple fact.

God made man. But Samuel Colt made them equal.

In Shirou's hand was an exquisitely crafted Colt Patterson, a pentagram etched into its wooden grip glowing with a sullen golden light. Figures of what could be smoke, vines, or flame had been etched into the metal of its frame, the inscription _'non timebo mala'_ etched into the barrel in brilliant silver.

Shirou pulled back on the hammer, the weapon releasing a loud 'click' as it ejected the foldable trigger.

"_In nomine Patris_ you bitch."

Shirou pulled the trigger, a small localized explosion propelled the projectile of the gun that could kill anything directly into the thing's forehead, snapping its head back at what would in and of itself be a lethal angle where it human.

A moment later what looked like a miniaturized electric storm took place in its skull, eliciting a cry of the outmost agony to emanate from its throat.

"NOW GUTS!" Screamed Shirou to the weakened swordsman.

The Struggler needed no more urging. With a scream of rage echoed by the weapon he wielded, Guts drove the Dragonslayer into the abdomen of the thing almost to the hilt.

Everyone froze, waiting to see if this foul creation would fall.

It opened its mouth. "**Yessssssss!**" Said the thing in the throes of what could only be described as incredible pleasure. The bodies of both males reacting to the sound against their wills.

"**YESSSSSS! You are impaling me! Splitting me in half! Pumping my body full of explosively released metal!**" It brought one hand to the Dragonslayer, pushing it more savagely into its belly. With the other, it reached out to Shirou, seeking to bring him into an embrace.

"**Lovers…you are **_**wonderful!**_" Its declaration made, it pushed its lips at Guts who pulled his head back in disgust.

It then promptly disintegrated into a pile of troll intestines and blood, causing Guts to fall to the floor.

"This has _got_ to be _**extremely**_ unsanitary!" Screamed Shirou after he spat out a mouthful of troll blood.

The cavern began to tremble violently, while at the same time the floor writhed like the organs of a creature. Chaotic growth beginning to consume all of the bodies on the floor.

"I have no words." Said Shirou. "No words at all. What's worse is that this _still_ isn't the most disturbing thing I've ever seen."

"Shut your trap and get up we need to get moving!" Screamed Guts.

Guts pulled the slider to his feet. Looking around they knew only despair, the door to the cavern had collapsed or been swallowed by the rampant organic growth.

"We're not getting out of here are we?" Asked Shirou.

"Doesn't look like it." Answered Guts.

"It would seem," Said a voice that sounded much like tortured metal tearing itself apart. "That I arrived rather late…or perhaps just in the nick of time."


	15. Escape Into Fire

And Santo is back with another snippet.

And it turns out it's not going to be the last of the Berserk snippet series as I had hoped.

...

I have conflicting feelings about this.

...

STOP LOOKING AT ME WITH THOSE JUDGING EYES! ┻━┻ ︵ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ︵ ┻━┻

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"_It would seem,"_ Said a voice that sounded much like tortured metal tearing itself apart. _"That I arrived rather late…or perhaps just in the nick of time."_

Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg turned so fast he suffered from whiplash.

Or he would have, had he not hurt his ankle and was holding on to Guts, who was in just as sorry a state for balance.

In front of them was a man riding a skeletal horse. He was covered entirely by ornamental plate armor resembling the ribcage of a man coated in white steel. Atop his shoulders rested thick pauldrons adorned with spikes. Each piece of armor looked like muscle and bone forged of metal and ornamented with horns. His helmet took the form of a human skull with metal spikes protruding from its brow in a parody of a crown, a golden glow emanating from the helm's empty eye sockets.

"You." Said Guts. "How did you get here?"

Ignoring the swordsman, the Skull Knight directed its gaze at Shirou. _"Son of the Kaleidoscope. Your presence was superfluous and almost threw a carefully wrought plan to ruins. Yet the laws of casualty demanded your attendance__._

"_A true shame that you were only able to destroy her vessel. Had you been given access to the core of her being, you might have been able to annihilate it."_

Shirou remained quiet as the knight spoke. When it seemed that it was finished, Shirou became unsure if he had been insulted or praised. "You have me at a disadvantage Mr…?"

"_Unimportant."_

"Bwoh?"

Guts chuckled. "He tends to be like that." Turning, he addressed the mounted knight. "Hey you! What the hell is going on?"

The Skull Knight directed his gaze around the writhing cavern. _"This is the result of the banishment you performed. Her advent and subsequent demise has brought life and death in this area to boil, without a guiding hand, it has formed chaos._

"_At this rate the growth will be compressed in the cave, growing in pressure until it explodes and swallows a few acres of the forest."_

Shirou tightened his one working hand into a fist. "How do we stop it?"

The golden glow that was the knight's gaze settled on the slider. _"We do not."_

"What!?"

"Say what!?"

The Skull Knight raised a hand to ward off the questions of the two men. _"We do not. Another party will handle the seal of this cavern. What we must do is provide the force gathered here with a path of least resistance__."_

Guts looked lost while Shirou thought furiously. "We need to open a rift." Said the slider. "If we open a dimensional rift, the growth would spread to whatever place we connect it to. The problem is that it would spill there instead. Not to mention that if we open it to a place deadly enough to deal with this, we would die too."

"Will the two of you start making sense?" Muttered Guts as he stared around the cavern, the open space in which they stood shrinking by the second.

He was promptly ignored.

"I could try and make a dimensional rift…but I do not have nearly enough Od to pull it off, and if I draw enough mana I'll die from the pollution." Muttered Shirou as he tried to think of a plan.

"_Your sacrifice, while it would be appreciated, will not be necessary, Son of the Kaleidoscope." _His statement made, the horseman brought the point of his sword to his helm. The teeth of the helm parted to allow him to swallow the blade to the hilt.

"_This is something I did not wish to unveil."_ Said the horseman, the sword down his throat not giving the slightest impediment to his speech. _"Until I could use it to throw those beings head first into the Vortex."_

Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg felt a hot chill crawling up his spine. His sensitivity to mystical workings was just as high as any of his counterparts. However, what he felt coming from the horseman was something different. He could feel a resonance within him, his kaleidoscopic origin reacting to the horseman's works.

"This isn't the time for magi-!" Guts' tirade was interrupted when Shirou tightened his hand upon the man's shoulder. His gaze locked upon the Skull Knight as the latter looked to him with what he thought was amusement.

"_I had a feeling you would be able to feel this, Kaleidoscope."_ With that, it drew his blade, as the sword left the confines of his body, it had been enclosed entirely in blood-red flesh. A multitude of eyes, noses, and mouths covered its entire length, cruel brambles twisting their way halfway up the blade.

Shirou felt his knees grow weak. The Kaleidoscope was something natural, an event that simply happened, a force of nature. Its complexity able to drive those of weak mental fortitude to madness. But for all the titles one gave it, the Kaleidoscope was, at its core, _natural_.

What was in front of Shirou caused the Kaleidoscope within him to shudder in agony, reality itself shrunk back from it in disgust. Whatever it was, it would rend, tear, and rape until it achieved what it was forged to do.

To deposit all into an empty abyss.

Only the fact that his stomach was empty kept him from vomiting.

"T-That is…" Whispered Guts with a note of awe in his voice.

"_This."_ Said the Skull Knight. _"Is the Blade of Resonance. Forged from the Beherits taken from Apostles."_ His explanation given, he made a slash at the floor, a palpable…_something_, emanating from the blade's arc in a shockwave.

The barest trace of its power washed over Shirou and cancelled the Prism-Trace.

"**What in the nine fucking hells was that!?"** Screamed OS with a note of genuine pain in his voice.

The moment the prismatic weapon made his query, a vacuum began to suck Guts and Shirou toward the center of the cavern where the horseman had rent the ground.

Wordlessly, the horseman rushed past them, absently grabbing Shirou by the coat and pulling him to the saddle. Shirou's deathgrip on Guts' arm allowed the swordsman to climb unto the saddle behind him.

The ground from which had been springing forth the melted forms of countless trolls and ogres began to disappear into the widening rift, the malformed creatures swallowed with an agonized scream.

Guts turned back, and his face paled. "T-That's…!"

Behind them as they galloped away, an enormous vortex screamed its hunger. It wanted blood, it craved flesh, it would not be satiated until it consumed all. Man, woman, or child. Living and dead. Construct or component. It would all be swallowed by its chaotic swirl.

"Hey boss?" Said OS.

"Yeah?"

"I'm scared."

Shirou was about to answer when he saw something that threw him so far into panic he was pushed past its event horizon, leaving him with a cold calm.

Long chains emerged from the vortex, writhing as if alive, striking toward them with lightning speed. Closer inspection showed that those things were not chains, but people. Emaciated souls screaming in unified hatred as they sought to make anything and everything share in their torment.

"They're catching up!" Screamed Guts whilst Shirou's mind stood frozen.

As souls of the damned rushed forth to claim their prize, the horseman raised his blade once more.

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"What the hell are you doing!? Its collapsing!" Screamed Isidro as the cavern they'd run out of began to sink into the ground.

"I-I can't…I can't hold it." Whispered Schierke with heavy strain in her voice.

Signum looked to the form of the straining girl and bit her lip. A moment later she stiffened and tilted her head.

"It's alright." Called the knight. "You can let it collapse."

"B-But Guts and Shirou-"

"Are both here already." Interrupted Signum calmly.

The surprise caused the small witch to lose concentration and fall to the ground. The portal she'd been straining to hold open finally collapsed and the cave was swallowed completely into the ground.

"You're not making any sense again." Said Guts with annoyance coloring his tone. "Just tell me why you were here in the first pl-…dammit I hate it when he does that." Muttered the swordsman as he saw that the knight he addressed was no longer present.

"Hey Guts how did you get behind us?" Called Isidro.

Signum saw the sorry state that Shirou and Guts were in and decided to give the two a little space. Instead she walked to the panting Schierke. "Hey, are you well?"

Schierke looked up to the older woman, sweat running in rivulets down her face, and nodded weakly. "Yes…I am fine."

The knight knelt next to the girl and placed a hand on her shaking shoulder. "Are you sure?"

Schierke was about to answer when she felt a slight disturbance, a loud pained moan emanating from Shirou's throat at the same time. Signum immediately started to stand before pausing, becoming conscious of her decision to go to the redhead. She hesitated and guiltily looked at Schierke.

The younger girl smiled and shook her head. "Go, I swear I am fine."

With a tight nod Signum made her way to the slider.

Schierke closed her eyes and expanded her senses, feeling the warmth of the sun vanishing away the cold darkness they had trekked through. "Qliphoth…It's been sealed. It can't be…was it that knight?"

As the women and children of the village broke out into cheers. Signum approached the blood covered slider, and with a smirk that did a good job of hiding her worry said two words. "You stink."

Shirou took a deep breath, almost choking on the stench emanating from his clothes. "I don't wanna hear it. Not. A. Word."

Guts sighed and slowly deposited Shirou on the ground, before standing up and stretching. "Signum. I leave your man in your care."

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"I'm not her boyfriend!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever you two say." Said the Black Swordsman as he turned and walked to Farneze to get his wounds looked at.

Shirou and Signum stood still for a moment, before the pink haired knight knelt next to the slider. "How bad?"

"Twisted ankle, and a dislocated shoulder." Answered Shirou in a tight voice, pain making itself known the moment he had time enough to relax.

Signum nodded and took hold of his arm, gently palpating his shoulder and completely ignoring the fact the slider was covered in foul smelling blood. Her tender touch caused Shirou to wince. "Are you sure? It could be broken."

Shirou shook his head. "I've had a broken arm, a dislocated shoulder, and a broken dislocated shoulder. Definitely dislocated."

"Would you like me to pop it back in?"

"It would be greatly appreciated."

Signum nodded. "On three."

Shirou closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Ok."

"One." Said Signum as she firmly tugged on the redhead's arm, the joint sliding back into place with an audible 'pop'.

Shirou gave an agonized grunt as his vision momentarily turned white. Once he could speak, he glared glumly at the rosette and wheezed out his complaint between pants. "What happened…to two and three?"

Signum smirked. "They went for a hike. Besides, if I actually counted to three you'd have tensed, making this harder."

Shirou grumbled under his breath and waited for the two fairies to finish with Guts.

The slider and the knight spent the trip back to the village in comfortable silence.

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Flora sighed as she finished inscribing one final intricate seal into a black backplate.

"And with that, it's done. It turned into a pretty large job…In all honesty it makes me feel somewhat nostalgic. I never would have thought I'd have to bring this out again."

"_Have you any idea how dangerous this is?"_ Said the Skull Knight as he stepped forward out of the shadows, his steel clad form towering over the ancient woman.

"Indeed I do." Answered Flora. "It is why I locked it away and watched over it. But for all its danger, it is a necessity for those children." With a grunt she stood, and gave the armor one light caress.

An almost imperceptible shudder afflicted the enormous knight.

"_Casualty dictates-"_

"No my old friend, I do not believe so." Interrupted the old woman as she walked to another table, lightly touching another intricate circle circle. Within it rested twenty-one precious stones of multiple colors, a light pulsing forth from them with the rhythmic beat of a heart.

"_The presence of the Son of the Kaleidoscope all but proves-"_

"It may seem, that the errors of the past will be repeated." Interrupted flora once more. "But by no means is casualty a perfect circle. Why, the young wanderer all but proves it to be a spiral. You heard him say he wishes only to return to his home. He will not influence the fates of those children any more than he absolutely has to."

The Skull Knight stood pensive for a few moments before speaking again. _"True…It may be that I've-"_ The knight cut off his speech and tensed, turning his glowing gaze to the outside of the forest surrounding the mansion.

"It would seem they've come." Said Flora tonelessly before giving a bitter laugh. "To think my spiritual energy has been this greatly weakened, that my barrier would be so easily broken. Well, you best be on your wa-"

For the first time, the Skull Knight interrupted the witch as he rushed past her with the swiftness of a black wind. Jumping off the balcony and landing upon his horse.

"You…You'd fight for me?" Said Flora with no small wonder coloring her voice. "B-But either way I will-"

"_In that case, it __**will**__ be peaceful." _Declared the horseman with a tone of finality in his voice.

Flora remained quiet for a few moments before her handsome face broke out into a warm smile. "Thank you. I will never forget your devotion old friend."

Rather than answer, the Skull Knight kicked his horse into a trot, advancing to the edge of the forest as golems of earth rose from the ground around him.

From the edge of the forest he could see the bulky shapes of malformed men. Their bodies crudely altered with great slabs of mutated muscle.

The teeth of his helm gave off the loud noise of tortured metal as his jaw tightened.

'_Let them come.'_ Thought the Skull Knight.

He'd make them pay in blood for each step they took.

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"So." Said Signum as she walked beside the now-clean Shirou on their way back to Flora's mansion. "How bad was it in there?"

Shirou looked at her, then shuddered. "I…You…You honestly don't want to know."

Signum raised one single eyebrow. "What? Do you think I'm too delicate to know?"

"I'm saying that first chance I get I am going to research a way to burn that particular memory out of my head." Answered Shirou succinctly, surprising Signum with the dead tone to his voice. "And after that, if I still remember what happened in there, I am going to do it again, and repeat the process until that particular memory is no more."

"Was…Was it really that bad?"

"Signum…have you noticed something weird?" Asked Shirou slowly.

Signum thought for a while before answering. "No…I cannot say I have."

The slider nodded. "OS has not spoken for the last four hours."

Signum's mind froze. Since four days before when she had piggybacked into the dimensional transfer with Shirou, OS had not been quiet for a period longer than fifteen minutes. Save for when they slept, the jeweled weapon was a chatterbox.

"No…No he hasn't." Said Signum slowly, trying to digest the information she had been given.

"Indeed…what we saw in there…it was enough to shake OS. And I gotta tell you, he is not easy to shake up. He's a weapon, he sees the world different from you and I. Maybe he is closer to how my alternates view the world.

"What we saw in that cave…it scared him. It scared him so much that he's directed all of his attention into processing what we saw, into gaining an understanding of it in order to lose his fear of it. The last time he was scared, he memorized all available information that he could by looking into alternate dimensions. He was quiet for one hour.

"What went on in there…I…I don't think it can be understood. Or maybe…maybe I just don't want to understand it. Worse comes to worse, he'll purge the memory of it from his systems. Please believe me when I tell you…you honestly do not want to know what we saw in that cave."

Signum stared long and hard at the slider before finally nodding. She opened her mouth to change the subject, when Shirou darted forward, startling her.

Shirou immediately got in front of Guts, who fell forward into his arms.

The two of them proceeded to drop to the ground like a stone.

"Oomph!" Said Shirou as the full weight of Guts and the Dragonslayer fell unto him.

"Guts!" Screamed Isidro as he ran to the fallen swordsman and attempted to turn him over. A feat that was only managed with the combined efforts of Signum, Serpico, and Farneze.

"Hot damn, the guy weighs a ton." Muttered Shirou as he palmed his chest. He was promptly ignored.

"I thought his injuries had been treated back at the village temple?" Said Serpico as he searched for what had caused the giant of a man to collapse.

"Yeah see? Wounds are all healed." Said Isidro, pointing to the newest set of scars on Guts' chest, medals which marked the place he had been ravaged by Slan.

"No." Said Schierke as she lightly traced a finger over a horizontal scar that ran the entire length of Guts' chest. "The lacerations of his flesh have been healed. But whatever this was, it caused a wound to his ethereal body. Guts by all rights you should not be even able to breathe. Quick, we need to carry him to the manor, Mistress should have some medicine t-"

"Woopsie daisies." Said Guts as he pushed himself to his feet with seemingly little effort. "Just got a little light headed for a sec is all. Let's keep moving."

"Bu-!"

"No buts." Interrupted Guts with a tone of finality as he began to stride forward once more.

"Uggh, Men!" Exclaimed Schierke petulantly as she stomped on the ground and resumed their trek forward.

Signum looked pointedly at Shirou, who extricated himself from the ground and rubbed his ribs. When he noticed her looking Shirou started, before glancing to the side and began to whistle innocently.

"You did not get hurt again by any chance did you?" Said the rosette suspiciously as she began to stride forward.

"What me?" answered the slider. "No, of course not. Not even a scratch."

"So how often do you have four hundred pounds of weight dropped on you?"

"Four hundred? I don't know what you are talking about."

"Shirou."

"Hey look we are getting left behind we should probably catch up."

"Shirou."

"No honest I'm ok."

"Would the two of you lovebirds just get a room already?" Called an annoyed voice from Shirou's belt. "I swear you act like a married couple!"

"Shut up OS."

"Shut it OS."

"Geez." Muttered the jeweled sword. "_Some people _are feeling a little sensitive right now aren't they? It's all that tension you two should find some way to relieve…_some way_ to relieve."

The duo remained quiet, not rising to the bait.

"I'm talking about sex." OS' declaration caused Farneze and Schierke to stumble forward, their faces coloring to a bright red.

The slider and the knight simply chuckled.

"Glad to have you back OS."

"Glad to be back boss."

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The group walked without incident all the way until sundown. Bar the occasional heavy breath and more sweat than usual, one would think that Guts was at the peak of health.

Shirou stopped once he reached the edge of what he remembered to be the perimeter of the barrier to the mansion. Reaching out with his hand, he tried to figure out what had alarmed him.

Signum noticed the slider's pause. "What's wrong?"

"The barrier." Answered the slider slowly. "I…I think it's been-."

"Farneze! Caska! Wait here!" Ordered Guts as he strode forward his right hand reaching up to grasp the hilt of his weapon, a small stream of blood falling from the brand on his neck.

"What's wrong Guts?" Asked Puck from his throne on Isidro's head. "More trolls?"

"Much worse than trolls." Answered Guts. "The old lady's in trouble."

The group finally approached the break of the trees, the mansion coming into view.

It was almost completely engulfed in flames.

"M-Mistress?" Whispered Schierke as she stared at the hungry flames, before rushing forward with a wail, running to the burning mansion without a thought to her safety.

"H-Hey, hey wait up that's dangerous!" Screamed Isidro as he took off after her, Serpico following close on the boy's heels.

Guts directed his gaze to the other side of the mansion, in the direction the fire was the thickest.

A large crowd of men in armor styled after different animals stood watching the conflagration.

Guts clenched his teeth, and took off running in the direction of the crowd.

"Guts!" Screamed Shirou as he took after the larger man, Signum ran behind the slider, activating her barrier jacket on the way.

What surprised Shirou the most about Guts' enraged charge, was how quiet the man was.

One moment he had been across the field. The next, he sunk his blade into one of his enemies. The sound of a large body cutting through the air the only warning his enemy received before a slab of dull iron rent its way through his armor and delivered what by all rights was a lethal blow.

"Y-You son of a _whore_." Said the man who had the black blade embedded into his body. "Where did you slither out of you worthless cockroach!" His declaration made, he took hold of the Dragonslayer by the blade, his hand mutating and enlarging until it was a parody of a human limb. He then ripped the weapon out of his body and offhandedly threw Guts a full six feet across the ground. Shirou and Signum skidded to a halt beside him.

The crowd of strangely armored men chuckled. "How'd _humans_ get here?"

"Hehe look at that!" Called another. "Two idiots and a woman! And look at her! We're gonna have some fun tonight boys!"

Shirou tightened his jaw in anger as the crowd broke out into jeers, his right hand closing around OS' hilt, while his left dug into one of his many pockets.

The man Guts had stabbed stood with one mutated arm for a moment, before he _rippled_, as if something below his skin sought release. Moments later he expanded, growing to a height of nine feet and becoming more than that wide, his skin hardening and his features changing until it looked like a strange mix of a crab and a man.

"Friends of the witch? You worthless fools will serve as our dinner!" Yelled the creature as it rushed forward, swinging a massive pincer at Guts who tried to struggle to his feet.

Signum tensed to intercept the blow.

She needn't have bothered. A black wind rushed in front of Guts and cut the strange creature to pieces.

"The horseman." Whispered Signum, recognizing the man that had rushed past her in the troll cave.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Panted Guts, looking around he saw the broken bodies of dozens of monsters.

"_My Fate is deeply intertwined with that of the owner of the manor." _Answered the Skull Knight succinctly. _"I will not allow a single one of these apostles to lay even a finger on the ground she walks upon."_

Shirou pulled out four jewels. "OS…we're gonna need this boost, but we're running short. We're going to have to make it count." Said the slider as he emptied the contents of the four jewels into the prismatic weapon. "Downloading memory." Muttered the young man slowly, being careful to enunciate every word with exquisite care. Signum took up a position where she could cover for him.

"Wait I recognize them!" Called one of the Apostles. "When the master was born, at the eclipse, the horseman that appeared on that ground was you! And that man! He was a sacrifice! One of the two that remained alive! The Black Swordsman that's slaughtered countless Apostles!"

"Sacrifice?" The awed whisper was taken up among the ranks of the armored Apostles, the murmurs stilled as a voice that resembled a growl more than anything reverberated through the clearing.

"To think I would meet the two of you here." Said an enormous man, easily nine feet in height, dressed in what looked like pelts. "Perhaps it is fate?"

"Zodd! Why are you here!?" Screamed Guts with a slight note of fear coloring his voice. "Don't tell me your master is…!?"

"You should know already, Black Swordsman. There is only one in this world I would serve." Answered Zodd with a hungry smirk.

"Orchestrating expertise." Intoned Shirou, his eyes settling upon the leonine man, his hand tightening a little further upon OS' handle.

"Milord Zodd." Rumbled a bass that resonated on the stomachs of all present. "I would appreciate it if you'd allow me to be the opponent of the Black Swordsman." Said a man that towered chest and shoulders over even Zodd's enormous form. He was covered entirely in plate armor styled after a dragon. A titanic shield, large enough to cover even his enormous body from neck to knee was carried in his left arm. It had the form of the scaled head of a reptile.

Zodd grunted. "Very well Grunbeld."

"I thank you." Rumbled the giant, who then turned and addressed Guts. "Rumors of you have reached my ears Black Swordsman. A man able to hunt Apostles as if they were animals. Having but a human body, you survived the Eclipse. It is far from honorable to use so many troops to attack one old woman. Even so, I asked permission to join such a distasteful mission to prove my loyalty to the Master."

He slowly drew an enormous war-hammer as he approached Guts, who slowly stepped away from his allies. "With the appearance of a warrior such as you, I might have a chance at honorable battle. I Grunbeld, as a soldier of the band of the hawk, hereby challenge you, the Black Swordsman to a one-on-one duel.

"En Garde." His declaration made, Grunbeld swung his war-hammer in a motion both swift and ponderous. His one attack sending Guts flying a full nine feet before he hit the ground with a roll. Grunbeld delivered several more titanic strikes, tossing Guts around with the ease of a rag doll.

"Master Fire Dragon really likes his duels don't he?" Said one of the smaller apostles. "But we gotta do our jobs, go get me the witch's hea-"

The rest of his sentence was cut off as his head rolled away from his shoulders.

"_You are __**not**__ allowed." _Declared the horseman.

"Bastard!" Said one of the apostles as his bones made snapping sounds, preparing to cast away his charade of humanity.

"Move." Demanded Zodd as he stepped forward with ponderous steps, his body transforming, becoming something demonic in every classical sense of the word. A hulking beast with the face of a lion and the body of a monstrous furred bull stretched into humanoid shape. Thick cords of muscle bulged beneath his flesh. Towering over human and beast as he stood like a man. His hands and feet adorned with claws that make armor into little more than parchment. Sprouting from his forehead was a single massive horn, twisted and thick, overgrowing the ruin of what was once a second horn. A long and densely muscled tail sweeps behind him, easily carrying the power to crush stone, wood, and metal. "I will be his opponent. Now go! Bring me the witch's head!" At his order the apostles scrambled.

"Failed Knight, Engage!" Screamed Shirou before the horseman and the demon engaged in battle, his belligerent baritone reverberating through the clearing.

With a quick multicolored flash of light, Shirou's clothing morphed. Becoming a simple set of dirtied and tattered plate armor like that which any knight might wear, marred by countless scars where a weapon had slipped past his defense, deeper dents and cracks on its plates giving testament to the countless times it turned aside a titanic strike. The majority of its surface had been scorched black by a hellish heat, small errant flames rising from its blackened plates at the steady tempo of a calm heart. On his back rested a long black bow, two quivers filled to the bring with arrows resting on his hips, one quiver held arrows blackened as if by soot, the other held shafts with bright red fletching. On his left arm resided an enormous kite shield, tall enough to cover him from the shins to the neck, its black surface adorned with the likeness of a snarling direwolf. In his right hand he clutched a thick longsword, its grip making it apparent that it was meant to be wielded by two hands. The razor-sharp edge giving off a palpable feeling of thirst even while the air around it danced in a captivating mirage, as if the blade was white hot. By all the strain he showed as he held it, it might as well have been a feather.

Shirou stood, proud as a castle wall, clad in steel and flame.

When he spoke, his voice had deepened to a bass that would belong on a barrel-chested brute rather than a whipcord young man.

"Go horseman, we will deal with this beast." Declared the young man with absolute confidence in his voice.

The Skullknight regarded him but for a moment before slightly dipping his helm in a respectful nod. He then rushed forward, evading one of Zodd's enormous paws by a hair's breadth and absently killing one of the slower apostles without breaking stride.

Zodd roared in rage. "_**You would chase a woman's ass during battle!?"**_ He then prepared to give chase, only to be stopped when he felt an impact against the side of his leg. The attack held just enough power to fold his limb under him, dropping him to one knee.

A moment after that, a scorching heat so powerful it caused an agonizing chill imbedded itself into his side, causing him to roar in agony and swipe at the knight who'd attacked him.

The slider dodged the attack with contemptuous ease, settling back into his stance. "I said I would be your enemy, demon."

Zodd rushed to the slider, a belligerent roar flying from his throat. Shirou stood his ground and planted his shield, ready to meet Zodd in a contest of strength. Zodd's enormous fist connected, forcing Shirou back a full four feet, his planted feet and shield digging three long furrows into the ground. A white blur slipped around him into the opening created in Zodd's guard as he overextended his arm. Levatein's blade was engulfed in dancing flames the moment before impact, cauterizing a large gash on Zodd's side, eliciting another pained roar from the demon.

The two warriors began to circle the large monster, forcing him to pick which of the two to keep in his field of view, presenting the other with his open back.

Several coughing growls emanated from the beast's massive throat. After a few moments, Shirou and Signum realized he was laughing. "This." Said Zodd with an infinite glee in his voice. "This is truly a most auspicious night. Finding not only an opponent capable of withstanding my might, but two warriors able to cut my flesh and escape unscathed! Truly I am a warrior with great fortune!"

His declaration made he rushed Signum, a never-ending rain of attacks coming from his limbs, jaws, and horn, resembling an advancing avalanche more than a large creature. His paws moved like a whirlwind as he sought to cut her apart. Signum dodged each and every one of his strikes by such a small margin that she could feel the coarse hair of his limbs brushing against her skin and jacket. A moment later, Zodd stumbled, slowing enough for her to cut a long gash into his arm in retaliation before jumping back to create space between herself and the demon.

Zodd turned with an agility a creature of his size should not have, his jaws making a loud report as they snapped at the empty space Shirou had occupied but a moment before. The young man rolled back, avoiding the bite with surprising grace for a man dressed entirely in armor. He absently rolled his left arm, attempting to regain feeling in it after he used his body to barrel into the back of the monster's legs, the strike of Zodd's tail unable to bend the bulwark that was Shirou's shield.

Zodd bared his teeth in a savage grin. "Truly, _truly wonderful! _A truly great fortune has been bestowed upon me this night!"

"The only thing you will find this night." Said Signum in a tone devoid of mercy. "Is death. Not even your ash will remain."

Zodd's grin grew. "Perhaps rather than kill you, I will force you to submit to me. I'll do you the favor of becoming my slave. It would be a true waste to kill one such as you."

Signum's fury mounted, the flame surrounding Levatein growing until the heat it gave off was enough to scorch the grass at her feet.

"Be silent you foul beast." Said Shirou in a dead tone of voice, delivering his speech with a cold finality. "A lamb led to slaughter has no need to speak." What Shirou said was neither bravado nor a threat. He simply stated a basic truth, an announcement as simple and obvious as saying that the sun would rise in the morning.

Zodd laughed once more. "Come then! LET US SEE WHICH OF US IS THE GREATEST!"

Battle was joined. Zodd's bass bellow was loud enough to shake the ground. Signum's belligerent soprano valiantly attempting to overcome the demon's roar.

Shirou remained quiet, joining battle while remaining coldly composed. His strikes were delivered with concise and vicious precision, neither anger nor fear ever once touching his mind.

He was a man with a job of work to do.

Nothing more.


	16. Cat Days

Santo is return!

And you'll be glad to know I finally got the hang of making a short(ish) snippet!

Anyways, I felt like writing this here snippet...so I wrote this here snippet.

Before anyone asks, the next chapter of my main continuity is sitting at 6k words and will get bigger.

For now, do enjoy the latest dark think to crawl out of my mind~

Strategic Snippet Bomb! /(. □.)\ ︵ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ︵ /(.□ . \)

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Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg ran. He ran as if his life depended on his ability to move.

As a matter of fact it did.

"SHIT!" Screamed the slider as a beam of incandescent light melted a hole in the wall next to him.

"C'mon little Shirou~" Sibilated the voice of a young girl. "You should stop running away, it hurts me so every time you do~"

Shirou remained quiet. If he was lucky she had not heard him over the sound of the wall collapsing.

"Hi lover." A voice whispered intimately to his ear, letting him know in no uncertain terms that he was not in the _least_ lucky.

"Wwahh!?" Exclaimed the slider intelligently as he fell to his bum and scampered away.

"What's with that reaction?" Said the girl with a huff before breaking out into a smirk that would make a Cheshire cat proud. "How much longer can you keep this up? We both know you can't escape me. The sooner you accept that the better."

"W-W-Well y-you know me." Answered Shirou in a trembling voice, casting about for something, _anything_ that he could use to distract her. "F-Free spirit and all that."

The girl went down to her knees and crawled forward sensuously. The curtain of her long hair spilling about her combined with the way she moved her body would force carnal ideas to blossom in the mind of a gelded man. "Now now my little bird. Only with me will you be able to sing the loudest," The girl slowly licked her lips. When next she spoke, her words were a husky whisper, filled with ardent promise. _"And you will sing loud indeed__."_

Shirou ran out of floor to retreat on, his back striking the wall with a dull 'thud'.

"Boss." Said OS from his hip. "I know I try to hook you up with pretty much anyone that comes along…but I _really_ think you should reconsider this one. I admit, five years ago when I told you go out with her? Totally dropped the ball."

"Shut up OS." Said Shirou absently as he began to slide along the wall, keeping a few scant feet away from the slowly advancing blonde. His spirits sank through the floor once he reached the corner where two walls met. He proceeded to press himself against it in hopes of sinking through it. "Now is _not_ the time."

"When will you stop playing coy my little Shirou~?" Said the girl as she reached his feet.

"W-W-W-Well y-you see, r-rather than coy I myself t-think I am m-more along the line of quaiiiIINT!" Shirou's voice spiked, gaining in pitch as the blond girl began to crawl her way up his legs, stopping only once she had straddled his waist and pressed herself unto his solid chest, snuggling her face into his neck.

The blonde girl took a deep breath. "Ahh, can't get enough of that scent." She said, her moist breath causing Shirou to break out into gooseflesh. She gave the skin of his neck the smallest lick before pressing her teeth lightly upon the flesh above his carotid artery, her soft chuckles causing pleasant vibrations across the slider's skin.

Shirou's entire body began to tremble, his heart hammering as adrenaline spiked through his system. Barely restrained terror coursing through his being as his fight or flight response blared at him to run away.

"E-Eva? W-What happened to you just trying to kill me? I miss those years."

The girl giggled again, running her slender hands over his stomach. "That was then this is now, and I will make you _like_ it."

Subtly, so as to not give himself away, Shirou activated his circuits and began to reinforce his body, leaving his clothing out lest she notice. He brought his left hand into one of his pockets, gripping OS' handle tight with his right. Shirou took a deep breath, the scent of the girl's hair nearly causing his mind to go blank, before speaking. "Oohh this is going to hurt." Said the slider in a resigned tone.

"Oohh don't worry my little Shirou." Murmured Evangeline A. K. McDowell, her mellifluous voice causing Shirou's heart to skip with something that was not fear. "It only hurts at first…"

Shirou tightly closed his eyes and pulled the pin on the stun grenade on his left hand.

The next moment that he was aware of, he could feel liquid coming out of his ears, the intense ringing noise disorienting. He quickly activated OS' jump feature and made a rift to his side, rolling into it. He fell face first unto a sandy hill and proceeded to roll to its bottom.

The rift immediately began to collapse. However, before it could close fully, a pair of small hands held it open, slowly forcing it back open.

Evangeline's beautiful face, alight with fury, came into view a moment later.

Shirou pushed himself to his knees, he then emptied the contents of his seven jewels into OS. _'This is __**really **__going to hurt.'_ Thought the slider before he forced OS to open another rift.

The spell consumed the energy stored in OS. When OS ran out, the sapient blade sought to draw as much power as he could from the area around them.

Much to Shirou's misfortune however, the world he was on was just average. It did not have an overabundance of mana, much less in the middle of a desert.

Once it exhausted the mana in the air, the spell turned upon Shirou, whose tortured circuits immediately transformed his Od, consuming the young man's life force.

Shirou's heart slowed, his breathing spiked, the young man feeling that no matter how hard he tried he could not get enough oxygen. It was as if the fuel his body needed to move was consumed before it even reached his lungs.

The drain continued.

He lost feeling on one of his legs. His arms went numb. Only his eyes let him him know that he still gripped OS in a trembling grip.

The drain continued.

Shirou felt something inside him rupture. The world dimmed, as if half of its light disappeared. The ringing in his ears stopped, replaced by a void of all sound. He felt cold, as if he were standing in the middle of an arctic wasteland. The sun, shining with an intensity that could knock a man off his feet, did nothing to warm him.

The rift finally opened directly below him.

Shirou's arms folded under him, dropping him face first into wherever. Anyplace but the place he was currently at.

The portal began to close again. Shirou turned to it and saw Evangeline rushing to it with her hand outstretched. It closed a scant instant before she reached it.

Shirou tried to push himself to his feet. But his arms would not cooperate, moving in directions he did not order them to. He crawled until he reached the wall, made of large stone blocks. Once there, he pushed his shoulder against it. Using the stone and his shoulder as a support, he managed to push with his right leg, the only limb which seemed to work the way he wanted it to, until he had slid unto an upright position.

He looked around. He was in a room. It was dark either very late or very early. He could see what looked like a bed nearby. On the far side of the large room he could vaguely see the outline of a door.

Once standing, it became an ongoing battle not to be pulled to the floor by gravity. He slid along the wall, each step an eternity. He dared not leave the support of the wall for a second lest he fall to the floor. Shirou was pretty sure that if he were to fall now, he would not stand again.

After five steps. Five long steps. He had traversed a distance he could normally cross in one stride.

On his sixth step, Shirou's leg gave out under him, dropping him face first to the floor.

At that moment he realized he was still clutching OS. Shirou tried to smile, but the terrible exhaustion he was feeling did not leave him with enough energy to do so.

The inky void at the edge of his vision rushed forward, claiming all he could see.

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Nebulous sounds reached Shirou's ears. As if he were trying to hear through a thick stone wall. Blearily, he opened his eyes. Yet he could bring nothing to focus. The light was too bright, causing him to close his eyes again and stir weakly.

"Ah! He moved." Said a female voice, his addled mind able only to recognize a distant whisper.

"Geez sis." Answered the voice of a young man. "What's up with this? Why is this guy in your bed and wha-…"

Shirou's consciousness faded out again.

When next he came to, he was able to open his eyes. He was in a large room, made of stone and beautifully furnished. The architecture looked medieval and on one side of the room he could see a mirror made of perfectly polished silver. He was lying in a large bed which was, by the feel of it, stuffed with genuine feathers.

The urgency he had felt came back to him. He had to run, he had to escape. Shirou did not know from what, he knew only that standing still was a folly. He tried to move. He did his absolute best to push himself to a sitting position, but barely managed more than a twitch of his arms, the minute movement causing a mountain of exhaustion to press unto him and pushing him back into the arms of Morpheus.

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Shirou opened his eyes, the world coming into focus slowly. He felt warm, rested, and comfortable. Three things which he most certainly did not expect to feel, much less in conjunction with each other.

He looked around and saw that he was lying down on a genuine feather mattress. The very thought of such luxury made him want to lay back and just fall asleep again.

Movement on the bed alerted him to the fact that he was not alone. Sitting beside him was a tall, slender girl who was reading a book. She had long silver hair, easily long enough to reach down to her waist. While the color was somewhat unusual on a girl of her apparent youth, it did not surprise the slider. He had seen stranger after all.

She was wearing a short black skirt with a gold trim and a purple long-sleeved vest that puffed out her shoulders.

"Mrghble?" Said Shirou cleverly, attempting to make it known he was awake and trying to gather information as to his current situation.

The girl started. "Ah! You're awake. Are you feeling well?" As she made her query, the girl placed a hand on Shirou's forehead. Her palm felt pleasantly cool to the touch. "Tch…It seems you are still running something of a fever, but it is not as bad as it used to be." She removed her hand, studying him with bright golden eyes.

"Murflabgt." Said Shirou in what could be agreement.

"Well…you've been sleeping for three days." Said the girl slowly.

"Afright?"

The girl looked at him in exasperation, a smile twitching at the corner of her mouth. The pointed cat ears giving a slight twitch.

Wait…cat ears?

The sliver haired young lady sported a pair of white furred cat ears on the crown of her head, not only that but they twitched and took different positions as her expression changed. Shirou caught a small movement, and saw a long, leonine tail swishing absently behind her.

"Afgighmt?" Asked Shirou cleverly as he attempted to make a vague motion with his hand.

"Hu?" Said the girl as she tilted her head. "I'm…afraid I did not understand that."

Instead of answering, Shirou moved his hand. He tried to make it rise but was unable to. Without any succes with raising the appendage, he then made motions for her to get closer.

The girl blinked, before acquiescing.

Once she was close enough, Shirou brought his hand to her ears and began to stroke them.

The girl emitted a surprised, high-pitched squeal. "Wait! W-What are you dooi-gyaaahh!"

Shirou had stroked the heads and ears of many a creature on his time. To date there was no animal that would not become putty in his hands when confronted with his affections.

"N-No~ S-Stooop that~" Said the girl as Shirou expertly caressed her ears and head, her throaty purrs betraying the lie in her words. A moment later her trembling arms folded, causing her to snuggle her face into the slider's belly where he could feel the low vibrations of her purrs.

Absentmindedly, Shirou's other hand moved to the back of her neck, then softly caressed her spine from the neck to her pelvis and back up, causing the girl to writhe impotently in his grip as she arched her back to bring more of his hand into contact with her body.

Shirou traded hands, softly stroking her ears with one hand while the other moved to gently caress her neck. His ministrations eliciting a throaty moan from the girl as her hands fisted on his clothes, pushing her face deeper unto his abdomen to muffle the sounds coming out of her mouth.

Shirou once more traced a slow line down her spine. Once he reached her bottom, instead of repeating his trail back up, he gently traced a finger down to her tail and began to gently scratch its base, causing her to stiffen and muffle a shriek.

"N-No~! Not my tail!" Said the girl breathlessly as she made a show of attempting to escape Shirou's grasp without putting up any actual resistance.

Shirou traced a finger lightly down the length of her tail, before pinching it lightly between his thumb and forefinger, almost as if counting the vertebra of her tail.

The door banged open with a report like thunder. "SIS! SIS I HEARD YOU SCR-Wait...what." Said a young man whose hair and eyes were the same shade as the girl writhing in Shirou's grip.

"Mrghblegh?" Asked Shirou intelligently, never once ceasing in his motions.

The girl in his grasp only making meowing sounds as she rubbed her face against the young slider's chest.

The boy at the door dropped his face unto his palms.

"Leon…Leon what the hell are you doing?"

The only response he received was a throaty purr.


	17. Meetings

And a beautiful and enjoyable snippet written by Old_Iron.

...and kinda sorta continued by me.

...Snippet time. Acchi Kocchi Style.

-START-

Hime didn't know what to think. One moment she was in peril, having tripped on the sidewalk and been falling towards the busy street. The next she was wrapped up in the strong arms of a young man who seemed to tower above her.

"Are you alright? That was a close call." He had spoken in a kind and concerned voice. All she could do was nod her head rapidly as the redheaded stranger smiled down at her. "I'm glad."

His voice made her heart skip a beat and she feared she might pass out as her face heated to a brilliant red. "Th-Th-Thank you v-very mu-mu-much!" Oh how embarrassing. She couldn't even thank him without stuttering. A small voice in the back of her mind noted she was still being held up by the young man.

How small she was compared to him. She doubted her eyes would go any higher than the base of his chest. Never had she met someone so tall and powerful. Her feet dangled helplessly.

"Ah, sorry. It's probably uncomfortable for you." Stated the mysterious man as he lowered her to the ground.

Hime stumbled a bit, her legs feeling weak, and it was only the redhead's hand on her shoulder which steadied her. She offered him a weak smile, for it was all she felt she could manage in her current state. "Ah... Thank you." She realized she didn't know his name and fidgeted. "Mr..."

The man chuckled. "Schweinorg. Shirou Schweinorg. At your service."

"Th-Then, Mr. Schweinorg..." Hime spoke his name slowly, the foreign sounding syllables not crossing her tongue easily.

Shirou waved his hand, appearing to be in an amicable mood from what she could tell. "Just Shirou is fine. Mr. Schweinorg reminds me of my old man."

"A-All right, Sh-Shirou!" The intimacy of using someone's first name so causally finally broke her restraint as fantasy brought her past the brink. A small fountain of blood erupted from her nose as her coloring reached a critical point. Before passing out, she caught Shirou's words of alarm.

It was some time later when she regained her wits, sitting on a park bench alongside the tall male. He'd not been too happy when she'd insisted she was fine and such an occurrence was commonplace. However at her pleading, he seemed to accept it.

After a short time of silence, Hime finally managed to start up a conversation. She'd been hesitant to do so though. Shirou had seemed quite content to lean back and stare up at the sky. It was as if this was a moment of peace to be savored by him. But the throbbing of her heart couldn't resist wanting to know more about him.

And so she asked.

She had learned Shirou was a traveler of sorts. Hime couldn't resist asking him where he had been. It had absolutely nothing to do with distracting her golden eyed savior away from the red on her cheeks. Shirou spoke of amazing places, some of which sounded almost too strange at times. And as he spoke, he had the most content smile on his face.

Ohh... What should she do? She'd never felt such a joyful pounding of her heart before. She'd not even given in to a second nosebleed. Her innocent gaze drifted upwards to look upon Shirou's face and her heart beat even harder. Was this...? Could it be...?

Was this what it was like to...

To fall in love?

Was this what Tsumiki felt whenever Io was around?

Certainly, her dense friend was capable of being quite charming. Almost dangerously so. Yet, her heart had never beat so rapidly around him as it was with Shirou. This man who seemed radiate assurance. But... She'd not even known him for a day! Was this love at first sight!?

Or was it simply infatuation?

Hime didn't know. Her innocent heart was unaware of such things.

When Shirou made mention of waiting for his traveling partner to return, part of her heart constricted tightly. D-Did he already have someone? To travel the world with someone surely meant they were close. She couldn't help it when her mouth moved on its own.

"I-Is it y-your g-g-girlfriend?" Were it possible, Hime would have sunk into the ground for her outlandish and invasive question. Why did she have to ask such a thing?! It was rude! A-And... And you don't ask those sorts of things! Not to people you've just met...

To her immense surprise, Shirou began laughing after looking at her with an expression which bordered on absolute shock and horror. His laughter was rich and the sort which was contagious. Were it not for her mortification, she would have begun laughing as well.

"By Blue, no! He's a lunatic who's good at finding the best deals on travel arrangements. I call him OS and he's a loudmouthed pervert." Even if the remarks were hardly flattering, Hime could tell Shirou was good friends with this OS person. her heart calmed slightly as she began to giggle.

"He reminds me of one of my friends. Sh-She's always up t-to something." Indeed, Mayoi was a girl who seemed to be up to no good more often than not and with some sort of strange quip at the ready. Not exactly perverse as Shirou was describing his friend, but the labcoat clad girl had her moments. Much to Hime's utter embarrassment.

"We seem to have unusual friends." Shirou's statement was accentuated by a bout of laughter Hime couldn't seem to resist joining in on. It was fun being around him, even if she'd only known him for a few hours at most.

Hime barely managed a reply as her melodious laughter mingled with his own. "We do."

When they'd managed to control their mirth, the diminutive brunette attempted to gather her courage to ask what she could not help but ask. Her maiden's heart demanded it. "Um... Shirou... H-How long will y-you be staying here?"

Shirou leaned forward and places his elbows on his knees, looking into the distance as he did so. The sight made her heart flutter. "Not much longer. If OS can get the deal he's looking for, then I'll probably be gone before nightfall."

"Be-Before nightfall?" She was going to lose him so soon? But... They'd just met! Was her heart to be broken before the day was over? She didn't want him to go. She wanted to talk more with him. Learn more about him. Find out what kinds of food he liked. What movies. What books. If he liked dogs or cats or both.

It was too cruel.

Why did she have to meet someone like this and lose them so soon?

But then again...

Wasn't she being too selfish?

Shirou was a traveler. A man who was struck with wanderlust.

Could she really beg him to stay here with her? So soon after meeting him and knowing so little about each other? Even the heart of a maiden knows when it's being irrational...

"Yeah." He offered her an apologetic smile which she did her best to memorize and engrave in her memory. "Sorry we couldn't talk more. You're a nice person Hime."

Please don't say such things, Shirou. It'll make your departure so much more difficult than it already is. "I... I'm glad I got to meet you, Shirou. You're a nice person too. And you also... saved my life..." And stole my heart.

Hime felt her nose about to erupt with a shower of red when he placed a hand atop her head and gently ruffled her short hair. "Don't worry about it. And I'm glad I got to meet you too." The sound of a phone vibrating reached her ears, distracting Shirou as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small phone. She could hear the other person, but she wasn't about to speak up and interrupt.

Not when he'd forgotten his hand was on her head and unconsciously petting her like a cat.

"You managed to get the tickets?

"No, I'm not.

"Where did you get that idea!?

"I will not give you money to buy cutlery. You spend enough as it is on strange things.

"Fine... I'll meet you there in a few..."

Hime could only look on in confusion as Shirou talked with whom she assumed was his friend. Some of his comments were a bit off color, but she was reminded of the reactions Mayoi tended to engender.

With an audible sigh, the redhead put away the phone. Something seemed off about the device, but it was of little concern. Her head felt cold as Shirou removed his large hand from her now messy mop of hair. "...Do you have to go?"

Shirou nodded. "Yeah. My time's up."

"I'm... I..." Hime swallowed and looked up at Shirou with shimmering eyes. "Will I ever meet you again?"

Shirou shook his head. "My travels make take me far and wide. But... I don't think you'll ever see me again." He placed his hand on her head once more. "But I'll always remember you, Hime. Take care of yourself and live a long, happy life." He gave her another warm smile.

Hime watched him walk away, giving her one last smile and a wave before turning away from her. She watched him until he reached the busy sidewalk and began to move to his destination. A person walked in between the two of them, making her lose sight of the redheaded young man but for an instant.

And like a ghost, he was gone.

-END-

Continuation by Santo:

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Ne Io…Hime's been sorta depressed the last few weeks hasn't she?" Said Mayoi to her good friend Io. "I mean, she didn't even react when I flipped her skirt! That's not normal!"

"Even ignoring the fact that you should not flip people's skirts," said the brown haired Io. "I will admit she has been acting weird, maybe something is happening at home?"

Before their conversation could continue, Kikue their homeroom teacher, walked inside. "Alright alright hush everyone~" said the green eyed young woman in her mellifluous voice, her light blue-grey hair swishing about when she tripped on the podium and almost fell.

Nobody was surprised or alarmed.

"Ehh hehe. Sorry about that, anyways everyone, you'll be happy to know that we have a new student today!" Said Kikue with a beaming smile. "Ladies you are in luck, for he is quite the dashing young fellow!" Her declaration delivered in a sing-song voice, she turned to the door. "Do please come in and introduce yourself~"

A young man walked in, he was slender just an inch or three taller than the average Japanese boy, but deep of chest and wide shouldered. He sported an unruly mop of red hair and deep amber eyes. Without the slightest nervousness or hesitation he stepped to the podium and bowed to the class, before straightening and giving them a beaming smile.

"Hello, my name is Shirou Emiya and I'll be your new classmate from today on, please take good care of me." He ended his speech with another warm smile, causing color to bloom on the faces of a few of the girls in the room.

"Egads!" said Hime intelligently, before a torrent exploded out of her nose.

"Ah!" screamed Mayoi at her friend's reaction. "Hime's down! HIME'S DOWN! Medic! We need a medic!"

In the end, Shirou volunteered to take the girl to the infirmary.

It was the start of a long friendship.

Several rooftops away, what would look like the older brother of the young man who had just introduced himself to his new class, lowered his binoculars.

"Didn't take you for the sentimental type boss," said OS at his hip. "I mean, normally _I'm_the one that plays matchmaker."

Shirou remained quiet for a few moments. "You know…I think doing this every now and then is ok."

"So why did you do it?" asked OS in an uncharacteristically somber tone. "It's not like you to mess with the lives of your alternates."

Shirou once more became quiet. "I honestly don't know…but…I think…I think she is a very special young girl.

"Can't help but feel that's just what a good many me's across the multiverse need, y'kno?"

OS did not answer as he was swung to open a rift between worlds.


	18. The First Flame

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

DIE LESSER CREATURES! Be gutted! Crushed! Pulped! Stabbed! Shot!

BURN under the might of my flames!

Flee! FLEE! Flee from my larger than should be practical weapon and nearly exposed dangly parts!

*Snaps out of Dark Souls induced bloodhaze* ━Σ(ﾟДﾟ|||)━

What? (*w*)

Where am I? ( °□°)

What happened to the dragon? (°□° )

...

Where's Nappa? (=,=)

Oh wait...snippet...right.

I am supposed to work on a sni...When did this become 8k words? ∑(O_O；)

...

And why is this arc still not finished!? ┻━┻ ︵ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ︵ ┻━┻

...

Ahh screw it.

^( *Д*)=(Snippetu Bombu Strategicus!)

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"Mistress!" Screamed Schierke, her eyes and throat stinging from the heat and smoke as she forced her way forward through the burning mansion, uselessly trying to find a passage to Flora's chambers that was not alight. "Mistress!"

A burning beam fell from the ceiling directly above her, causing her to freeze and scream in fright.

Isidro snatched the back of her robes and pulled her out of the way, forcing the two of them to fall in an ungainly pile of limbs.

"What the hell are you doing!" Screamed the kid as he extricated himself from her. "Aren'tcha a witch!? Use your magic! _Your magic!_"

Isidro's reminder caused Schierke to collapse into sobs. "I can't!" Said the girl, forcing her words out through her grief. "I can't achieve the calm! I can't! I can't! Mistress!"

"Ahh crap." Muttered Isidro, "I didn't sign up to deal with screamin' chicks."

"You two what are you doing!" Screamed Serpico as he caught up to the limber boy. "We need to get out of here, the building could fall around us any moment!"

Isidro began asking if anything could be done about the fire, quickly falling into an argument with the older man. Schierke did not look up from the floor, or even acknowledge she was in danger. Instead, she closed her eyes and cast her mind out, seeking to form a mental link to Flora.

'_Mistress! Mistress where are you!?' _She absently felt arms lifting her from the floor and dragging her toward cooler air, but she barely noticed.

'_Schierke' _Spoke Flora's voice directly into the girl's mind, causing her to dig her heels into the floor, forcing whoever was holding her to redouble their efforts.

"Mistress!" Schierke had no more chance to speak, for the image of a full set of pitch black plate armor with a helm styled after a human skull was forced into her mind.

'_My beloved pupil, take that to the Black Swordsman. Not only his survival, but the lives of our guests may very well depend upon it.'_

Before Flora could explain any further, a deafening roar reverberated through the air, powerful enough to shake the walls of the mansion.

'_There is no time Schierke. You were well aware my time was nigh. I will not survive this night and all doves must someday leave the nest. Go my beloved pupil, go and save the Black Swordsman.'_

'_B-But Mistress!' _Before Schierke could protest further, she was driven to the floor, a body falling on top of her as a wall next to her collapsed.

"Go back go back!" Screamed Serpico, his voice hoarse. "The hallway-Shit!" With a scream of tortured wood, the floor gave out in front of them, becoming a maze of jagged spikes.

"Shit shit shit! Move move move!" Screamed Isidro as he boldly turned Shrike around and sprinted back the way he had come.

'_Enough child.'_ said Flora, an enormous feeling of warmth emanating from her link to her pupil. Flora's love for Schierke becoming completely evident to the girl, making the fire seem almost inconsequential. The sheer emotion making Schierke sob, tears making clean tracks down her soot covered face.

'_You are ready. There is nothing more I can do for you.' _Continued Flora._ 'Hold your roots in your heart, but always remember to look forward.' _Schierke saw what was happening outside through Flora's eyes, three battles, held between demons, angels, and men. She saw a massive figure raise a shield, a moment later fire exploded from it with a deafening roar.

"SHIT!" Screamed Isidro as a cannonball exploded through the wall next to him, covering him in splinters. The enormous projectile barreled its way through the opposite wall and disappeared from their sight.

'_Go child, give the armor to the swordsman. You will also find jewels, give those to the Young Wanderer. Live child, and know always that I loved you as if you were of my flesh and blood.'_

With her last declaration the mental link between them fell. Not because it was dismissed, but because Flora could no longer hold the connection, so far had fallen the ability of the witch of the woods.

Schierke ground her teeth. She snatched her arm from Isidro's hand and turned resolutely in the direction of the treasure room. "Follow me!" Demanded the witch as she strode forward without checking to see if the two males would follow her order. She had been given her instruction, she would not disappoint.

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Yet another long gash was made upon Zodd's flesh.

Yet another laceration vanished without a trace within seconds.

The stalemate between the demon and the knights had gone on for several long minutes. However barring some quickened breathing, neither side showed any fatigue.

Zodd once more emitted the coughing grunts that passed for his laughter. "Wonderful…truly wonderful." Said the enormous demon as the two knights circled him, turning his head back and forth as he sought to keep both in his field of vision. "Six hundred years, six hundred _long_ years have I waited for an enemy other than my beloved foe, an enemy that could match me in this form. And yet I find not one but _two!_ Two warriors so close to one another that they fight as one.

"A true shame that we had to meet tonight of all nights, were I not under orders, I would take the time necessary to truly savor this fight.

"Unfortunately, I have my mission, and so I apologize to the two of you. For I will do everything necessary to kill you." Zodd bared his teeth in a savage grin. "Even so…This night has made the long wait completely worth it!" roared Zodd as he once more rushed Shirou, who was hard-pressed to evade all of his attacks. For while he was a good warrior, he was not nearly as agile as Signum.

Shirou planted his shield, and with the sound of stone striking metal, stopped Zodd's right paw cold. He then stabbed the point of his sword into his opponent's left hand, the hiss of burning flesh drowned out by the demon's grunt of pain. Heedless of injury, he pressed down with both of his arms, using his weight to drive Shirou to the ground.

Shirou struggled for all he was worth, but there was only so much an iron determination would do for him. His legs began to shake, and slowly, glacially slowly, he was driven to his knees.

Zodd opened his enormous maw and with a quicksilver motion brought it down to his tiny opponent, intent on snapping his neck and crushing his skull.

"_Lilac Blitz!_" Screamed the Blazing General. A mere moment later, Levatein's flaming blade imbedded itself into Zodd's shoulder with the hiss of flash-cooked meat. The device, heated to the point where it would melt through steel almost without resistance, cut through Zodd's bones, rent through flesh, and imbedded itself into his hip. The full kinetic power of Signum's charge was driven directly into Zodd's frame.

On that moment, Signum Yagami achieved something that not even the nameless Skull Knight had ever managed to accomplish in six hundred long years.

On that night, at that precise moment in time. Signum Yagami, the Knight of the Sword and the Blazing General. Drove Nosferatu Zodd to his knees.

Zodd took a deep breath.

He then broke out into booming laughter, laughter so loud that it reverberated through the ground itself. The vibrations of his merriment shaking the bones of both his opponents.

"Woman…Woman you…You've been holding out on me! This is the first time anyone has sunk a blade so deep into my flesh." Declared Zodd with glee in his voice. "All this time…from the start of our combat, I assumed your man to be the greater. Yet now you show me the reverse to be true! He is most fortunate indeed."

Signum twisted the blade and expended even more of her magical energy, increasing the heat of the flames cooking Zodd from within. She spoke through clenched teeth. "He's _not_ my boyfriend."

Zodd chuckled more, it was at this moment that Signum realized the reason the demon was so calm.

His rent and burnt flesh was healing, sealing the great wound she had inflicted upon him while healthy tissue consumed the seared meat as muscle and bone knit themselves together. She hastily attempted to extricate Levatein from Zodd's flesh, but the blade was firmly stuck.

"I told you woman, I will do anything necessary to defeat the two of you, no matter that the tactic lies far from honor." With that he turned back to Shirou who still knelt on the ground, pinned in place due to Zodd's weight. "Farewell my foe, you fought well." With that he once more opened his maw.

"_Sturmwinde!_" Screamed Signum in desperation, a shockwave of fire erupting from her blade as she shot to the skies, rending Zodd's flesh open as she extricated her blade from his body and causing Zodd to convulse in agony.

Not one to waste an opportunity, Shirou took advantage of Zodd's momentary spasm to stand and free his blade form the monster's hand. One of Zodd's massive arms smacked into his shield a moment later, causing him to tumble across the ground until an apostle's corpse brought him to a halt.

As his agonized seizure ended, Zodd sagged in place. He looked around until his eyes found Signum as she floated in the air. When the lacerations in his flesh closed, there was one long white scar that traversed the entirety of his back, a testament to the fury of the attack which had rent open his body not moments past.

"Woman." Panted Zodd. "You've surpassed _all_ expectations. To be able not only to rend my flesh, but to scar it! Before you, only two beings had ever managed such." Smoke poured from the enormous being, obscuring his massive form. "But _this!_ This I never expected." Two enormous leathery wings, like that of a massive bat, sprung out of the smoke and beat once, the air they displaced vanishing the cloud in an instant. "_An enemy who would dare contest my skies! __**Magnificent!**_"

Signum saw the massive creature quickly ascend towards her. She altered the vector of her flight and accelerated to meet it. As they drew closer to each other, Zodd threw his claw forward. Signum twisted in the air and avoided it, passing so close to the razor-sharp nails that two gashes were made to her jacket.

Levatein's flame-clad form opened Zodd from neck to groin in retaliation.

They separated. Zodd's enormous form moving ponderously as he attempted to once more close the distance between himself and Signum. The smaller knight flying circles around the demon, opening gashes on his skin whenever it was convenient to do so.

On the ground Shirou stirred and then slowly pushed himself to his feet, his eyes locking unto the figures dueling in the skies. The pink colored light flying like a comet around an enormous shadow that blotted out the stars.

He planted his shield on the ground beside him so that it would stand on its own, then sheathed his weapon. He'd need both hands for this.

Silently, he reached for the black longbow that rested on one of his quivers. He knew the feelings coursing through him were not his own, even so he could not help but sympathize. The woman had to be protected at all costs.

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Guts staggered as he stood from the ground, having been sent flying by Grunbeld's attack. The sheer force of the blow had been akin to a canon ball. The enormous knight walked almost leisurely towards Guts.

Guts barely managed to stand, the unbearable pain on his chest and back nearly making him black out. He tightened his grip on the handle of the Dragonslayer, his arms trembling from the effort of lifting it from the ground.

'_Who the __**hell**__ do you think you are? How __**dare you**__ call yourselves the Band of the Hawk!?'_ Thought the Black Swordsman as fury coursed through his veins. He hefted the blade's enormous weight. And then, with a violent twist of his hips, brought it about against Grunbeld with a furious grunt of effort.

Grunbeld absorbed the absurdly heavy impact with his shield, a mild grunt of exertion being the only sound he made.

The dragon knight then took a step forward and drove his weight down unto Guts, smashing the flat of Guts' own blade and his own shield into the Black Swordsman, forcing him to the ground in a sprawling heap. He then raised his war hammer and brought it down onto the prone Guts who blocked it with the flat of the Dragonslayer, the deafening sound of steel striking iron reverberating through the clearing.

The impact drove the breath out of Guts' lungs and made his vision swim for the briefest of moments. He proceeded to roll away from Grunbeld, making space between the two of them so as to get his bearings. He got his knees under him and attempted to stand, only to be stopped by the agony blossoming across his chest. He could feel several of his ribs had cracked under the vicious impact.

"That is quite a sword." Rumbled Grunbeld with some admiration in his voice. "To not have broken after two blows from my war hammer. Very impressive indeed.

"And yet your swordsmanship leaves much to be desired! Aside from a single strike of acceptable power, you've yet to do a thing!"

Guts ground his teeth and once more attempted to push himself up, ignoring the searing agony on his chest and back. The wounds inflicted by Slan tore themselves open, spilling his life blood across the ground.

'_Shit!'_ Thought Guts desperately as he ignored the agony they caused him and pushed himself to his feet.

He barely managed to place the Dragonslayer across his chest in time to intercept another strike of Grunbeld's hammer, the power behind the strike lifting him clear off his feet. Before he was subjected to the tender mercies of gravity, Grunbeld's shield barreled into his stomach and hurled him to the ground. There the dragon knight's boot came down onto his chest in a half hearted stomp, pushing the flat of the Dragonslayer into Guts' ribs.

"Pathetic." Said Grunbeld with open contempt on his voice. "Are you _truly_ the Black Swordsman? He who hunts Apostles like animals and has traded blows evenly with Nosferatu Zodd? Our old enemy is a coward like you?"

Guts remained quiet, seeking only to draw a breath into his lungs.

"_Answer me!"_ Demanded the dragon knight as he stepped harder on his pinned foe.

"_An enemy who would dare contest my skies! __**Magnificent!**_" Screamed Zodd as he took off across the skies. A lone black figure remaining in the ground and preparing a bow.

Grunbeld observed the contest for the skies with a wistful look in his eyes, tracking the arrows that were fired unerringly into Zodd's flesh. "Milord Zodd is fortunate indeed. To face such powerful opponents. To warriors, the battleground should be their temple. Their greatest desire to die among blood and carnage, having spent their lives dearly, and killed by a warrior they could not best.

"It would seem that you lack the pride of a warrior, swordsman."

Guts grinned up at the dragon knight. "Monsters like you…should not pretend to be warriors…you self absorbed shit."

Grunbeld absently kicked Guts away, sending the Black Swordsman skidding the length of three men across the grass. He then brought his shield up and pulled a lever on its underside, the shield released a mechanical sound Guts was quite familiar with.

"As a warrior." Said Grunbeld as he hefted the enormous shield. "You are not fit to be destroyed by my war hammer." He pointed the shield at Guts. Through the mouth of the shield's head, Guts spied a long metal tube. Grunbeld sneered, "Now fall to pieces…_And die gloriously__!_"

He struck the firing mechanism with his hammer, the spark ignited the gunpowder charge, causing the dragon's head on his shield to roar smoke and flame.

Guts felt as if time had slowed, as if fate wanted him to engrave the memory of the twelve pound ball of lead that would take his life. The cannonball rotated toward him almost languidly. He could already picture it smacking against his chest, searing his skin but for an instant before it forced its way into the meat of his torso, tearing through muscle and bone and flesh.

A black wind surged, and with the thunderous sound of metal striking metal, the cannonball changed course mid-flight and tore its way effortlessly through the wooden wall of the mansion.

The nameless Skull Knight stood in front of Guts, completely unstained by blood, soot, or mud.

"W-What?" Questioned Guts with awe in his voice.

"_Swordsman."_

"You would intrude in a warrior's battle?" Asked Grunbeld with fury in his tone.

Guts was about to ask the reason why, when Schierke's voice sounded directly in his mind. _'Guts! Come to the treasure room!'_ As she spoke, the way to the hidden room was shown to Guts.

'_Schierke?' _Answered Guts. _'What about the old lady?'_

'_No time! Come to the treasure room.' _The image of a black suit of armor filled his mind. He could feel something in the suit of armor resonating within him, calling him, drawing him.

'_I see.'_ Said Guts with a malevolent light in his eye and staggered in the direction of the cave.

"_Answer me!_" Demanded Grunbeld after the third time the horseman had ignored him.

Finally, the Skull Knight saw fit to direct his gaze to the apostle. _"I've slaughtered all other apostles that were present. But know this undead one. If you are to pursue the Black Swordsman, you will find no impediment from me. Nor will I accept to do battle with you."_

"You would insult my pride so?" Said Grunbeld, fury heavy in his voice. "Do you find me so unworthy that you'd refuse to do battle with me!?"

"_Far from it."_

"What?"

"_I must save all I have left to stop Nosferatu. Causality dictates those two will not be enough to fell him._

"_However, if I am to join my might to theirs…" _The Skull Knight left his statement open, somehow managing to make his speech mocking without changing his tone of voice.

"What's to stop you from joining their fight once the Black Swordsman emerges?" Asked Grunbeld as he took up his stance and readied himself to attack.

"_Nothing. But if we do battle, I will kill you."_ The cold finality with which the horseman spoke gave Grunbeld pause. The Skull Knight had not spoken in boast, nor was it an attempt to intimidate him. Grunbeld could feel it in his bones.

The Skull Knight had spoken a fact. As simple, obvious, and basic as saying that something covered in water is wet.

"_I would prefer not to however. For the struggle would further drain me, granting Nosferatu a sizable advantage. Something he would most certainly not be happy with, but will nonetheless exploit to the fullest__."_

Grunbeld tightened his grip on his war hammer before relaxing his hand. He absently began to reload the canon in his shield.

"You are a devious one horseman." Said Grunbeld. "We shall see if your swordsman will truly be able to hold me. But know this: Once I kill him, I will come for you."

The horseman and the dragon knight stopped moving, becoming two statues.

He who made the first move would be at a disadvantage after all.

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Signum dodged and weaved in the air, avoiding Zodd by minute margins. His agility in the air was not as great as that which he had on the ground, but even so he was still an extremely deadly and maneuverable foe. Where she had barely managed to deal any sort of lasting damage with one of her strongest attacks, Zodd could potentially cripple her if he were to land a single solid strike.

As such, she concentrated on not allowing the demon that one lethal blow he needed. However in return, she could not focus her efforts on truly damaging him, as he would take advantage of that slight moment she needed to concentrate her energies.

And so the demon and the knight continued their deadly dance for dominance of the skies.

Signum opened a gash upon the inside of Zodd's thigh for the third time, inflicting what on a human would be crippling damage, yet on Zodd barely more than a deep scratch. As she accelerated past him, Zodd kicked out at her viciously and forced her to go into a rolling dive in order to escape with nothing more than a scratch.

They separated again, Zodd moving in a large circle as his ponderous weight forced him to maneuver over a large area. To her surprise, she saw at least two dozen arrows imbedded on the demon's flesh, some which were blackened as if by soot sunk into his sides while others, red-fletched this time, were buried into his back and legs.

As she took in this brief observation, yet another black arrow found its mark on one of Zodd's arms. Bar a slight twitch, the demon ignored the projectile.

Signum allowed herself a small smile. Shirou would do what he could to help her, no matter that it was ineffective. She supposed it was the thought that counted.

Zodd's roar of challenge drew her attention, the large demon was moving in a straight line to her at an ever increasing speed.

Signum ground her teeth. She then burned her second to last cartage, the blade of Levatein was engulfed in a tornado of howling flame. With a roar as savage as any emitted by Zodd, she charged straight at the accelerating demon, a harbinger of death tracing a blazing line across the skies.

Zodd saw the attack with which she had nearly split him in twain, and rejoiced. He would have the chance to face her full might head on.

"_Lilac-!_" Roared Signum as she began drawing a violent arc with Levatein's glowing steel.

Zodd roared and threw his claw forward.

At that precise moment, a mere instant before the two put the might of the other to a test, the blackened knight standing on the ground released his arrow. The red-fletched shaft, which was said to move with the speed of lightning, traversed the distance between the bowman and its mark almost instantaneously.

Neither of the combatants dueling in the sky would have even noticed the shaft. Why should they? It would find itself unable to do more than prick the great demon it traveled towards, nor would it leave but a mark upon the white jacket of the knight contesting the skies.

Yet this arrow, unlike its two dozen brethren that found their homes upon the demon's flesh, was aimed at a vulnerable point.

By all accounts it was an impossible shot. Any who witnessed it would call it luck. A shot of great fortune. A more pious speaker would call it divine favor. A poet might call it fate.

They would all be wrong.

Like nearly all the counterparts of Shirou Emiya that resided across the multiverse. Shirou the Guardian of Aramis, was not an excellent marksman.

For to be an excellent marksman, one would need to possess the ability to miss.

The red-fletched arrow imbedded its serrated steel head into the small carpals of Zodd's right wing. Collapsing the base that supported the digits from which the flesh of his wing was anchored.

Suddenly losing half of the support which allowed Zodd flight, the enormous beast fell into a chaotic and deadly tumble.

Right into the path of Signum, who was but a few scant feet from the enormous being.

Her eyes widened as Zodd's massive form tumbled out of control in mid air. A hurried exclamation flying from her lips even as she desperately sought to alter her flight to allow her to dodge the mountain of muscle and bone flailing toward her.

A triangular shield began to take form in front of her. Zodd's immense form barreled into the pink haired knight, plowing through the half formed defense with his sheer mass. The colossal power behind the impact sending her plummeting in a straight line towards the ground, her comparatively petite form vanishing into the treetops a moment later.

A few seconds after that, a titanic impact could be felt through the soles of everyone's feet, strong enough to shake the trees in an acre around it.

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"By the spirits this is terrible." Muttered Schierke as she looked at the new collection of bruises and torn flesh on Guts.

"Man just _look_ at all these." Said Puck as he knelt on Guts' chest, sprinkling powder from his wings unto the Black Swordsman's wounds, the numerous bruises and lacerations on Guts' flesh disappearing without a trace. All were healing except the deep cuts that crossed his chest and back inflicted by Slan.

"Just like you said Schierke." Said Evarella. "These opened again, but last time we closed them without a problem, why are they being so stubborn?"

Isidro backed away from the black suit of armor sitting in the corner. He could feel something emanating from it, like the feeling Guts' sword gave off every now and then, something cold…cold but burning hot. "H-Hey…are you sure we should stick him in that thing? If it does what you say it does, in the shape he's in it might kill 'im."

"Do we have any _choice_?" Asked Serpico from the door, he kept the doorway to the room cracked slightly open to allow him to see the conflict outside. "If we stay here much longer the fire will spread here too. And out of all of us, Guts is the only one that can beat back any of those monsters out there."

"Well." Said Isidro as he watched the fairies heal wound after wound on Guts' flesh. "At least we can patch him up before we stick him in there."

The group fell to a tense silence while the fairies continued their work. Schierke palmed the bag with jewels in her belt and wondered how well the wanderer was fairing.

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Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg blinked once. Slowly. The realization of what exactly he had done crashed upon him like an avalanche.

"SIGNUM!" Screamed the slider as he threw the bow aside in his haste, leaving the trace's armaments behind in his mad rush to the forest's edge.

A bass roar of incandescent rage shook the air around him, forcing the slider to pause. A moment later his eyes widened in horror.

"Oh shit no! Cancel Pri-grghk!" Shirou's incantation was cut off as if an iron hard grip had begun to strangle him. His hands uselessly grasping at an inexistent obstruction, he attempted to force the words past his throat, to cutoff the magic which allowed the template to take form.

A second roar filled with white-hot fury shook the air around him, considerably closer than the first.

Behind the helm, the slider's eyes gradually lost the light they showed, his struggles ceasing as emotion left his being.

The knight walked casually back to his armaments, picking up his bow and sheathing it in one of the quivers. He once more took hold of his shield and drew his sword. Then waited for the demon to arrive.

He ground his teeth in an uncharacteristic show of emotion, his helm hiding the incredible amount of self-loathing that wracked his being. He'd failed again, a spectacular failure in a history of mediocrity. He'd fired hoping to grant the woman an advantage.

He might as well have killed her himself.

Nothing he did or said would excuse his failure.

But no force in creation would stop the knight from avenging the woman.

Trees splintered as Zodd barreled through them in his wrath, a never ending roar or rage flying from his throat as his eyes settled upon Shirou, the fury in his eyes so intense that Zodd could literally see nothing else.

"_You worthless husk!_" Screamed Zodd as he raised his arms. "_How __**dare**__ you take her from me!? __**You dare call yourself a warrior!?**_"

At the very last moment Shirou rolled to the side, Zodd's enormous arms crashing into the ground he had stood upon with a palpable shockwave, his attack sending up a cloud of dust.

"_Honorless __**dog!**__ I will destroy you! No part of you will remain! You accursed plague!_" Zodd's insults flew from his maw even as he rained a never ending wave of brutal attacks upon the blackened knight.

Zodd, in his fury, did not care to put up any form of defense. The self-hatred Shirou felt caused the fires of his armor to blaze, inflicting burns upon the demon whenever his arms or legs came close enough to striking him.

Taking advantage of Zodd's distraught state of mind, he sunk his blade to the hilt in the demon's belly. "_I am no warrior!_" Yelled the knight, emotion for the first time coloring his voice as he savagely removed his blade form Zodd's stomach, the demon's ruptured abdomen closing itself shortly after the attack was made.

Zodd roared in rage and kicked at Shirou who took the strike on his shield. The sheer power behind the attack threw him to the ground, digging a furrow twice as long as he was tall through it.

Zodd pursued the fallen knight and brought his enormous head down, intent on crushing the pathetic thing in his maw.

A whip with razor-sharp blades wound around his neck and halted his movement cold. The eyes of the beast and the blackened knight followed it to its source, where they saw the battered Signum holding the hilt in her trembling arms. Her right leg was propped against a tree to anchor her against Zodd's movement while her left hung in a mangled ruin, broken in at least two places.

Momentarily, Zodd knew joy as he had not known it in centuries, she was alive. A moment after that the red-haze which had clouded his vision vanished, replaced by grief. In her current state, she would not be able to fight with the same ability she'd shown earlier.

The razorwhip around his throat tightened, digging further into the flesh of his neck as it sought to decapitate him. He quickly wrapped an arm around the whip, ignoring the blades that sunk into his flesh and prepared to pull on the weapon.

A searing hot agony blossomed from his chest.

Shirou, taking advantage of the distraction provided by Signum, drove his blade into Zodd's chest, the blade running parallel to the ground as it was driven between the monster's ribs. The weapon stuck fast in the monster's chest, trembles running down its length as its tip kissed Zodd's massive heart.

Shirou had lacked the strength to drive it any further through the steely bulwarks of Zodd's muscle.

Zodd's fist smashed into his chest with the strength of a wrecking ball, sending Shirou skidding across the ground. He then took hold of Levatein with both hands and pulled on the weapon, throwing all of the considerable power his body could generate into the movement.

Signum's leg allowed her to remain in place for all of two seconds before Zodd's titanic strength pulled her like a rag doll, instinctively she held her weapon in a deathgrip, unwilling to relinquish her device.

It proved to be the wrong decision as she was smashed into the ground with such force she cratered the already ravaged ground. "Ha…Hayate." Whispered Signum as agony coursed through her body. Moments later the shock of impact robbed her of consciousness.

Shirou stood back up, a noticeable dent on his chest plate. Zodd absentmindedly dug the sword out of his chest and unwrapped the razor whip from his throat. He then broke Shirou's sword in two with a contemptuous flick of his wrist.

"Were it up to me I would leave and let the two of you recuperate so that I may fight the two of you at your prime without interruptions. But it is not." Zodd began to advance to Shirou who stood between the demon and Signum. He could hear her breathing, he would _**not**_ fail her again.

Slowly, almost against his will, Shirou drew one last weapon from his belt, a thin weapon, curved like a scimitar. Longer than a dagger yet shorter than a sword, this hybrid was constructed from a material that resembled bleached bone. The entirety of the weapon: Hilt, guard, and blade, was a single piece.

Zodd gave his grunting laugh. "Do you think such a puny thing can truly stop me? You must be desperate my foe."

Shirou darted forward, dodging the swipe of Zodd's arm, and cut a long line into his side, just like Signum and himself had done at the start of the fight.

Zodd laughed. "Fool, just bow down and accept the facts. Without her you might as well be dea-what?" Zodd's confident speech was interrupted by his surprise. The gash on his side did not heal. Closer inspection would show that the rend in his flesh was, for all intents and purposes, perfect. There was no puckered flesh where an improperly honed edge had bludgeoned its way forward through the meat. An inch deep grove had been made into one of his ribs. The bone, which in the past had bent steel, had been parted seamlessly and effortlessly.

Zodd looked to his enemy with trepidation, before roaring and charging at him, the broken knight on the ground left forgotten behind him.

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The door to the treasure room burst open in a sea of splinters, drawing the stares of the Skull Knight and Grunbeld.

Striding out of the demolished door was a giant in black armor. It was composed of overlapping plates, ridged and thick, evocative of the large scales of a dragon. A tattered black cloak billowed from his shoulders like a black fog. His head was covered by a morbidly silent metal helm, styled after the skull of a man, its seemingly empty sockets staring with hate-filled intensity at the dragon knight. Carried in one hand as easily as a child might carry a stick, was the man's sword.

But to call that weapon a sword would be lunacy.

Carried in his right hand was a weapon that was far too big, too heavy, and much too rough to be a sword.

Akin more to a slab of raw iron.

Grunbeld had to stop himself from taking a step back. For one instant, one small fleeting moment, he felt fear.

"The Black Swordsman?" Said Grunbeld with disbelief in his voice. "His movements are as if from another person…but that blade…"

Before Grunbeld could continue, the Black Swordsman threw back his head and released a blood curling howl, its sheer volume enough to deafen a man. Suddenly, with the scream of tortured metal, the black helm elongated, changing its shape until it resembled the lupine head of a wolf. Its right eye remained an empty black while the left became filled with a hate-filled glow of red. The ridge of the helm and the gorget of the chestplate morphed, gaining cruel points, becoming a black, serrated metal maw.

He then crashed into Grunbeld's shield with the sound of a cannon ball striking a metal wall, knocking the dragon knight back no fewer than ten feet and very nearly toppling him. The Black Swordsman had moved so fast that he seemed to have skipped the intervening space between himself and his target.

The Skull Knight turned. Saw the great swaths of blood covering the grass.

Blood. Red Blood. Zodd's Blood.

Zodd was injured. Injured quite heavily.

A better opportunity had not presented itself in centuries.

He hefted his sword and prepared to join the fray.

'_Wait my old friend.' _Spoke Flora directly into his mind, causing the tall knight to hesitate. _'I can feel it. Something that is yet to pass._

'_If you join now. You will die.'_

The Skull Knight gazed longingly at Zodd who began a struggle with the Shade that had taken possession of the Son of the Kaleidoscope. "_But this is the perfect opportunity t-_"

'_If you've ever heeded one of my warnings, please heed it now. I can feel it, something will come, something terrible. If you move in now, you will be touched by its barest margin. And you will be consumed.'_

The Skull Knight paused. The Witch knew exactly how powerful he was. If she honestly believed that he would be easily destroyed, then what was coming would have to be monstrous indeed.

The teeth of his helmet once more released the whine of tortured metal. To have the greatest of opportunities given to him in a silver platter, yet he dared not take it.

Causality truly is a most cruel mistress.

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Miraculously, against all logic, the large knife rent its way though flesh and muscle and bone. No part of Zodd's body was strong enough to withstand its bite, within moments, both of Zodd's hands had become bleeding ruins. With a roar of rage, Zodd brought his head down, intent on impaling the blackened knight upon his horn. The knight brandished the dagger and used it to cut into the massive horn, effortlessly cutting a grove into it until its edge wedged itself against an imperfection in the ivory, its super-keen edge stopping one scant inch from Zodd's eye.

Using the stuck dagger as a handhold, Shirou pulled himself to Zodd and smashed his shield against the monster's ear. Again and again Shirou drove the image of the snarling direwolf into Zodd's head, seeking to cave in the demon's colossal skull.

Zodd planted his elbows on the ground, set his feet, and savagely rolled his head in an attempt to dislodge his foe. Instinctively, Shirou set his feet and wrenched the dagger sideways in an attempt to pacify the large creature by using pain.

Unknown to the two of them, the titanic stresses forced upon the thin dagger began to overwhelm even its incredible fortitude. Unseen by them both, a small crack appeared on the dagger's edge.

With his head twisted at a brutal angle Zodd opted to surprise his enemy and rolled on the ground, Shirou's deathgrip on the dagger's hilt ensuring he was dragged along for the ride. Zodd rolled a total of four times, savagely swinging his head from side to side in an attempt to dislodge the persistent human. Much to his chagrin however, the knight wrapped his legs around Zodd's neck not unlike a man holding himself to a horse.

Clenching his teeth, Zodd brought one of his enormous hands around in a strike against his foe, splattering the knight with a large amount of his blood and withstanding the searing agony that the fires of the knight's armor caused upon his mangled flesh.

Yet no matter how hard Zodd punched, no matter how savagely the demon moved, the knight would not relinquish the dagger. One of his legs was broken, the shield was driven from his arm, the helm knocked askew, some of his arrows driven point first into the groves of his armor, yet Shirou barely noticed. He would not relinquish his hold upon the weapon.

Zodd's struggles had brought them to the edge of the forest, the large monster got his feet under him, and with a roar filled with fury swung his enormous head at one of the trees. The wood of the ancient tree splintering like a twig as it was rent by his horn.

Shirou impacted against the tree, the strike breaking three of his ribs. Yet he held on to the dagger with both hands even as his feet hung suspended a long way from the ground.

Zodd planted his shoulder against the knight's chest pressing him savagely against the trunk of the tree. He then twisted his head and _pulled._ Yet for all the power of his limbs, Shirou would not surrender the weapon, he would die first. Zodd set his feet and tugged again.

Finally, after a long struggle, one of three things had to give.

The crack on the dagger's edge expanded, blossoming into a long rend that traversed its width.

Zodd's fifth tug snapped the blade in half, causing a loud crack, as if a large tree had snapped cleanly in half. The force of his movement, when it did not meet the expected resistance, caused him to tilt to the side and crash savagely into another tree, his opponent falling to the floor in a boneless heap.

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"Wow…he's really cutting loose ain't 'e?" Said Isidro from what might or might not be the minimum safe distance to keep from the fighting. As he finished speaking, Guts completed a set of pirouettes that should be physically impossible for a man in flullplate armor, bringing down the Dragonslayer onto Grunbeld's shield and sundering it in his violent motions.

"This is impossible." Said Serpico form behind them, staring at the Black Swordsman with open awe. "A minute ago he was not even able to stand. This...This is not right."

"Watcha' tlakin' about! Just look at him! This whole magic business is awesome! Shoulda given it to him for the troll extermination!"

"No, Mr. Serpico is correct." Interrupted Schierke. "The wounds to his spiritual body were not healed. What I gave him…it's an armor made by Dwarves, The Berserkers armor. The armor has taken control of the flow of Od of his body, it has cut off the flow of information to his brain from most of the pain receptors of his nervous system, allowing him to freely bypass the self-limitations humans unconsciously impose upon their bodies. Just look at those movements, it's likely he's already suffering from at least a dozen torn muscles and a few microfractures."

"…Wut?" Said Isidro and Puck at the same time, both looking absolutely confused by her explanation. She did not know why but Schierke got a little angry at them for not understanding.

She was about to clarify her answer when she felt the temperature of the air plummet, surrounding her with an arctic cold. An instant after that a bright flame came to light on the forest's edge. For all its power, Schierke had a strange feeling that it was nothing more than a spark.

"H-H-Hey w-w-what t-t-the h-hell!?" Said Isidro as he began to shiver. "H-H-How t-t-t-t-the h-hell is t-this s-sup-p-p-pposed t-to help!?"

Schierke's breathing sped up, her quick exhalations misting in front of her. She began to tremble, but not from the cold. "T-This is impossible." Whispered the witch with fear and awe in her voice.

"Hey! What's going on?" Asked Serpico once he noticed the state Schierke was in.

Schierke failed to notice his query. She could not tear her eyes away from that spark, now a fledgling flame.

She could see them. The natural spirits of the world, earth, fire, water, wind. All of them were swarming to the light given off by the newborn flame in ever increasing numbers. Allowing it to consume them completely so it could grow, become stronger and brighter. All to burn hotter as though it were a kiln to be fed.

She could see several plants around her begin to wither and die as the forces which gave them life fled from them to feed that flame. The frozen grass at her feet becoming nothing more than statues of ice. The air grew heavy and thick, making it harder and harder to breathe.

Whatever that fire was, it would consume all; wipe the slate clean leaving behind only ash.

And worst of all. She had no idea how to stop it.

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Zodd the immortal was lying on the ground, trying to regain control of his breathing. He could not remember the last time he was driven to such a point of exhaustion.

Then again, rather than exhaustion it could be the massive amount of blood he had lost. He no longer knew the difference.

His hands were pulped and burnt ruins. His chest and stomach riddled with bleeding lacerations. Were he to stand again his legs would tremble under his bulk. His one remaining horn had a long scar that traversed a third of its length, part of the small knife that had put him in such a sorry state embedded upon it.

Zodd did not believe he had ever been this hurt. Never had he been driven so close to death.

Zodd could not remember ever feeling happier.

Since his ascension, the individuals capable of harming his skin were few and far between. Treasures beyond compare.

Yet none had ever been of the caliber of the two who had fought him this very night. Individually they were weaker than his beloved foe, weaker than some of the now dead enemies who had been able to challenge him.

They had driven him to new heights. And he could feel it in his bones. He, Nosferatu Zodd, the immortal of war was the victor. No matter how formidable this last trump-card had been, Zodd had transcended it. He had withstood their full might, been driven to the outmost of his endurance, and he had persevered. All that remained was to deliver the finishing blow.

As he gathered his energy in order to stand, the temperature in the air plummeted. His heaving breath misted in front of him while the numerous cuts across his skin lost feeling due to the cold. He could feel the ground, turned into mud by his blood, freezing around his heavy form. A moment later, a torrid wave of heat washed over him, hot enough to sear the exposed tissues of his chest.

Zodd propped himself up on his elbows to gaze at his defeated foe.

Zodd was not one who would often be made to know fear. He had not felt that emotion in the seven hundred long years since he had become something no longer human. The only moment he had felt it in copious amounts was when he lost his left horn to his lord.

He did not know why, but the image of his defeated foe terrified him.

He sat there, in his blackened armor, broken and bleeding at the base of a sundered tree. His hand tightening and relaxing on the hilt of the once unnaturally keen dagger. The malevolent frost which spread from his form transformed the plant life it touched into sculptures of ice, crystalline and dead. The part of the tree he leaned against exploded as the water within it froze and expanded violently, peppering the area behind him in splinters. Lines of ice spread from his form in organic patterns, the cold spiking at the rate of a slow heart. With each beat, the lines grew a little longer, or new ones were born.

The errant flames of his armor intensified. Engulfing him completely yet leaving his form untouched. Somehow, against all logic, that fire seemed to feed the unnatural cold, making it stronger, allowing it to grow.

His enemy raised his head, his helmet still knocked askew from their struggles, allowing Zodd to see one single eye, the color of molten gold. Anger spilled from it like the opposing forces from his body.

When he spoke his voice was calm. Clinically detached. Like the voice of a man who calmly announced he was about to die. "You should have killed me demon. I would have been fine with such an outcome.

"The dagger we broke…that dagger was given to me by the woman I love. She withstood a great injury in order to present it to me. That dagger…was the proof of my bond.

"That dagger was worth more than my life." The fire intensified, gaining in strength. Zodd could barely keep his eyes open against the glare.

The blackened knight stood. Each motion slow and agonized. Such motions ought to be impossible for a ruin such as he. "Without it, I am nothing more than fuel for the fire…"

The molten gold of the solitary exposed eye seemed to burn like the sun. A sun which was filled with a malice and loathing. Such malevolence for himself and the mere thought of existence. "I shall feed you to it, demon...You and all your kin.

"_You_ _and this entire corrupt world shall burn.__** Till naught but ash remains.**_"


	19. Once Upon a Time

Ok SSSSSSO!

The thread over at BL has been buzzing, people wanted a snippet that detailed the past of the Failed Knight template. The template itself was actually pretty detailed, but people wanted a bit of canonish story that showed how the Shirou of the template met the dragon-lady.

Yes it is Shirou from Dark Souls. Yes I love the game. Yes I am a cynic and a hopeless romanticist. Yes I know that is rather hypocritical.

ANYWAYS!

My Beta was suffering from a rather severe migraine, so he was not up to correcting my horrid punctuation, still he said it is not _too _bad.

Have yourselves the latest dark thing to crawl out of my mind~

^( °Д°)=(Strategic Snippet Bomb!)=(°ロ° )^

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Priscilla stood, stretching herself to her full height as the tall undead stepped through the archway, her hands holding the black scythe with an easy familiarity, wondering if yet another foolish undead would test their might against her.

She studied the man. He walked with the heavy gait of a man carrying a heavy burden. He was covered from head to toe in what had once been the resplendent plate of an Elite Knight. The entirety of the armor, helm, chest, bracers and leggings. Was covered in scratches, dents, and burns. Testament to the furious fighting he had partaken in. Even so, one could see that the armor was kept in good repair.

In his left arm he carried a kite shield nearly as long as he was tall, the image of a snarling direwolf staring out of its surface with hate-filled eyes. His right hand grasped the hilt of an enormous sword, nearly as large as he himself was tall, the blunt edge of the cruel black blade was supported on his shoulder, its serrated tip covered in coagulated blood, a few drops of the life fluid absently dripped down its length. It had seen recent use. The enormous blade must have weighed no less than eighty pounds, yet the battered knight carried it with ease born of familiarity.

He stopped just out of the range of her long black scythe. Keeping his posture as unthreatening as possible, yet poised for explosive movement, the top of his head did not reach past her waist.

Priscilla looked down at the undead, her keen senses allowing her to look into his golden eyes through the slit of his helm. In them she could see resignation, trepidation, nervousness. Her analysis of his state of being backed by the man's scent.

What surprised her was that she could not detect an ounce of fear or disgust, two things she was intimately familiar with.

The knight simply stood there waiting. Allowing her the first move.

Priscilla suppressed the urge to frown lest it be taken as a hostile action, perhaps, for once, she would not be forced to slay one who stepped into this cold world.

"Who art thou? One of us, thou art not. If thou hast misstepped into this world, plunge down from the plank, and hurry home.

"However, if thou seekest I, thine desires shall be requited not. And thus I implore of thee, plunge down the plank and hurry home." Her proposal made, the half-dragon fell quiet and waited to see what the knight would do. A cold wind passed through the tower, ruffling her long silver hair and furred robes.

The knight stared at her for a long moment, before taking a step forward and lifting the large blade form his shoulder.

Priscilla suppressed a sigh. The blood of yet another foolish wanderer would be drunk by her scythe. Her hands tightened upon the haft of her weapon in preparation of the combat to come.

She was quite surprised when the blade of her enemy left his shoulder only to allow its tip to touch the floor, the knight then bent forward from the waist as far as his armor would allow, baring his head and shoulders to her in a show of reverence and submission.

He straightened, heaved his large weapon back unto his shoulder, took two steps back and circumvented her. Keeping out of reach of his own weapon yet staying within her own. Baring his unprotected right side to her were she to choose to attack, the angle of his walk ensuring that any attack he made would lack the weight that would make it damaging.

Priscilla followed his movement with her eyes, waiting for him to show his deceit, the inevitable attack that would come once her back was bared to him.

An attack which never came as he carefully stepped over her tail and exited the chamber, he then proceeded to walk down the plank. Once he reached the edge, he turned back to her, gave her one more bow, then jumped off the edge without the slightest hesitation.

The half-dragon stood in place, staring in amazement at the place the knight no longer inhabited. She blinked and turned back around, glad that the blood of the knight did not stain her hands.

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Priscilla looked with surprise to the knight that stepped through the archway to her chamber. His scent confirming what her eyes told her. He was the same as the knight that had come but a week past.

He walked to her with the same burdened gait, his enormous blade supported on his right shoulder and his great-shield strapped to his back, in his left hand he held a heavy sack.

"What is thine desire knight? Why dost thou return? In this land, thou dost not belong."

The knight paused at her quiet query, staring up at her face, his expression hidden by the visor of his helm. He then levered his sword off his shoulder, and set it slowly on the ground beside him. He then lowered the sack on his left hand to the floor and proceeded to remove his shield from its strap, setting it down beside his blade.

Once he was relieved of his armaments, he once more picked up the sack and walked to her slowly. Priscilla's hand tightened on her weapon, expecting treachery.

Once he was in front of her, he lowered the sack to the ground in front of her feet. The knight then took two steps back before turning around, baring his unprotected back to her. Where she to choose to attack, his life would be forfeit.

The knight walked back to his armaments and picked them up off the floor. Levering his heavy sword back unto his shoulder, he turned to her, dipped his helm in a quick show of respect and once more walked around her, presenting his open right side to her as he circumvented her large form.

She waited, expecting the sack in front of her to explode in a tornado of flame, for him to give a signal and attack.

The knight walked down the plank, reached its edge, once more turned, gave her a bow, then jumped off.

Carefully, Priscilla opened the sack to see its contents. Within it she found a plethora of fruits. Foods she would never find within the frozen tundra of Ariamis.

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Priscilla once more looked to the knight, his battered form wobbling to her. No longer bothering to keep track of the times he had come.

Once more he repeated the same motions, disarming himself before approaching her with a filled sack.

Sometimes he brought fruits, others times he brought meat. He had brought books, flowers, mirrors, pendants, trinkets, toys.

He had made her many a gift, never once speaking, never once asking anything in return. The knight simply walked in, disarmed himself, deposited a gift, retrieved his arms, and walked away. He came with the regularity of clockwork, every week, on the week, the battered knight would come to her. Sometimes in perfect condition, other times clearly battered and bleeding.

Yet no matter what, he always came to her every week on the week, gave her a gift, and walked away. Never explaining his actions, never demanding anything in return.

She had stopped searching for booby traps after the thirtieth visit.

She had stopped checking for poison after the fiftieth visit.

She had stopped questioning him after the seventieth visit.

Priscilla could not remember ever being more confused in her life.

Why would this man. A knight that from the looks of things constantly went to battle, take time off to come to this forlorn world and give her something? It was unnatural, every other wanderer that had found themselves upon this place attacked her, some claiming to do the work of a god, others with avarice and lust in their eyes.

Yet this man came time and time again. Always silent. Always doing the same.

He would come in, disarm himself, deposit a gift, pick up his weapons, and walk away.

The knight once more picked up his armaments after having deposited a gift, this time a large necklace made entirely of twinkling titanite. Many a man would kill for such a thing, the trinket cannibalized for its invaluable and rare resource. Yet here he was, giving up possession of a treasure of an age past.

As he once more circumvented her, keeping out of reach of his own weapon. Priscilla moved with a swiftness that would surprise any that saw her size. She touched the edge of her scythe to the gorget of his armor, its super-keen edge causing a deep scratch upon the thick metal. She could decapitate him with but a flick of her wrist.

The knight turned calmly and stared up at her face, his posture unchanging and unthreatening. Only his eyes, unhidden to her keen senses, allowing her to know of his confusion.

Priscilla audibly ground her teeth. "What dost thou seekest? What is thine desire? Why dost thou come time after time after time? What purpose wouldst thou serve by making gifts of me? I spoke to thee already, thine desires are requited not."

The knight stared at her for a long time, his golden eyes holding her gaze unflinchingly. "You looked lonely." Stated the knight succinctly.

For once, Priscilla's iron self control failed her, allowing naked surprise to color her face. "What?"

"You looked lonely." Repeated the knight.

Priscilla stared long and hard at the laconic knight with fascination. "Why wouldst thou care as to the state of an abomination such as I?"

For the first time, Priscilla saw anger radiate from those golden orbs. "I do not see an abomination. I see a lonely girl. The reason I keep bringing you gifts is as repayment for my debt to you."

The half-dragon blinked, opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, blinked a second time, then closed her mouth with an audible _click_. "What debt couldst thou have possibly garnered from one such as I?"

"You did not force me to kill you."

Priscilla was so shocked by this statement, she did not react as the knight sheathed his sword on a heavy chain at his back, took hold of the flat of her scythe with two fingers and made to remove it from his neck, in her shock, the half-dragon allowed it. Once he had enough room, the knight ducked under the blade and walked down the plank. Just has he had done countless times before, when he reached the end, he turned, bowed to her, then leapt down the edge.

It was many hours more before Priscilla snapped out of her frozen state.

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Shirou raced down the halls of the castle, uncaring that he may trigger a trap, unmindful that the noise he was making could call down a plethora of enemies upon him.

He turned a corner, forcing his armored bulk to make a too-sharp turn, his metal-clad feet skidding on the stone as they sought purchase. It was only thanks to him using his towershield as a makeshift crutch that he did not fall to the floor.

He swung his black greatsword to the floor with enough strength to dig its wide tip into the ground, and used it as leverage to propel himself forward all the faster.

He had to reach it, he had to catch up to them. He had heard of the plan as his enemy lay dying, missing both legs from the knees down, chuckling as his lifeblood fled him.

"_Your little whore will die." The dying man cackled maniacally, "I am not here to kill you, you idiot! I am here to hold you!" He laughed all the harder as horrified realization blossomed upon Shirou's face, hidden by his visor. He laughed harder still as his opponent's enormous weapon descended, splitting his skull in twain._

Shirou did not know how the Darkwraiths had heard of his constant visits to the forlorn world of Ariamis, but it mattered not. His enemies were attacking Priscilla in force as retaliation to his constant interfering. He could not allow them to succeed.

He turned the corner and saw the familiar colossal painting, sprinting to it in a maddened rush. He jumped at the painting, anyone who saw him would assume he would simply cut through the canvas and strike the wall.

The surface of the painting rippled like the surface of a lake as the knight sunk seamlessly through it.

He landed on the snowy ground with a heavy roll, sprung back to his feet and sprinted off in the direction of the highest tower. The familiar frost covered road crunching beneath his boots.

He ran into the keep, unchallenged by the creatures that had become familiar with him over the course of the weeks. Sprinted up stairs, down corridors, around corners and familiar short-cuts.

As the knight ran, he came across a sight that confirmed his gnawing fear, the white clothed guardians lay dead in frozen pools of their own blood. Gritting his teeth behind his visor, he sprinted up the stairs to Priscilla's chosen chamber.

He would not allow himself to fail yet again.

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Priscilla grunted as she swung her black scythe, cutting another invader in half. Upwards of twenty men yet remained in the large chamber.

The dead man's compatriots hurled fire, lightning and steel back at her in retaliation. With a twirl of her weapon she parried aside the numerous knives and arrows fired at her, quenching the fires by calling upon the blizzards of her home and prison. She dodged out of the way of the lightning and with a twirl disappeared from sight.

"Godsdamn it you whore!" Screamed one of the men as he struck the ground, causing numerous pillars of flame to explode in a chaotic pattern in front of him. Priscilla appeared a moment later, putting out a fire in her furred robes.

"_Shablanaztak!" _Screamed a man in sorcerer robes as he finished his long incantation. A moment after that space _bent_, and Priscilla was forced to her knees, her arms held out to the sides and her head tilted at a brutal angle.

"Heh! Nice one boss!" Exclaimed one of the remaining warriors, stepping over the bodies of the nearly two score dead.

The half-dragon did what she could to stand, to escape the magical bonds, yet she was unable to.

The man in sorcerer robes strode forward. "Do not even bother abomination. That spell was made to hold demons many times your size. You cannot break it."

Priscilla met the eyes of the man. "Why wouldst thou do this? What is thine purpose?"

The man merely grunted. "To punish a Godsdamned interloper. Yet even if I were not under orders I would kill you still, if only to rid the world of an abomination such as you." His statement made he drew a wicked knife. "In the name of the Gods I will rid this world of the plague of your existence."

"Dibs on the tail!" Called one of the men happily as he began to jog to the half-dragon's tail. Rumors had it that you could make incredible weapons out of dragon bones.

The sorcerer sighed. "Make it quick Valmont." His order given, he began to chant, his dagger covering itself in a sullen crimson light. The man that had decided to cut off the half-dragon's tail reached his destination and raised his weapon with a manic glee. Causing Priscilla to redouble her efforts at seeking escape.

His sword descended, warm blood splattering Priscilla's robes as a meaty sound of impact was drowned out by the ring of steel striking stone.

The man gave a wet gurgle before death took him, his entire thoracic cage having collapsed under the weight of impact of an enormous black sword.

"What the-?" Exclaimed the companion next to him before the image of a snarling direwolf smashed into his head, pulping his nose. He fell back with an agonized howl, clutching at his face.

The sorcerer on the other side of Priscilla had but one second to stare in amazement, before the cruel tip of the black sword that had so easily cut down Valmont imbedded itself into his chest and propelled him a full six feet back before it impaled him to the floor. He pulled at the weapon with weak fingers, before blood gurgled out of his throat and chest. He fell still a moment later.

Everyone in the room froze and stared. The man clad in the armor of a knight straightened to his full height, rising from the crouch he had ended up in as he threw his massive weapon.

"Shirou!" Said one of the warriors as if the name were a curse. "Guess Vladmir was not good enough to hold you." The remaining men drew their weapons and surrounded the chained woman.

They looked to the one remaining man leaning against the wall, he looked back and said two words. "Kill him."

The score of men screamed as they charged, converging upon the helpless crossbreed and impassive knight.

The first fell as a long bladed knife flew from the knight's hand, imbedding itself into his neck.

The second fell with his neck twisted at an unnatural angle from the thrown greatshield.

The third died with a gurgle as he was pushed into the blade of his comrade.

The fourth fell to the floor, clutching a leg which bent the wrong direction before a boot descended and crushed his neck.

The fifth and sixth fell to the floor clutching their faces in agony, a pair of arrows driven into their eyes before steel clad fists drove a pair of long bladed knives through their skulls with a meaty 'thunk'.

The remaining men backed away with fear clutching their hearts. Never had they seen such a controlled slaughter, much less from a nearly weaponless man.

One of them grit his teeth, and with a hurried exclamation his hand was covered in coursing lines of electricity. Electricity which was fired at the helpless half-breed.

He was quite surprised when the knight jumped into the path of his attack, receiving its full power on his chest, the arcs of the unnatural electricity coursing through his being.

The men smirked and readied whatever ranged weapons they could, were they magic, flame, bolt or steel.

Once his trembles subsided, the knight grasped the hilt of Priscilla's enormous scythe, the cold touch of the weapon numbing his arm to the elbow, only his eyes confirming that he held the haft at all.

Priscilla gave a sharp hiss. "Thou mustn't! If thou art to use my weapon-!" Before the half-dragon could finish her statement, the knight heaved, throwing his weight forward with a twist of his hip, and brought the too-large weapon around in an enormous horizontal arc, cutting two men apart at the waist.

Arresting the movement of the heavy scythe with great effort, the knight took another step forward and with a grunt of effort swung the scythe in a reverse motion, decapitating three more men.

The ten remaining men scrambled back, attempting to get out of reach of the enormous weapon. Yet they were much too slow, seven more fell to the scythe's deadly blade before the remaining three managed to back themselves against the wall.

The knight turned to look at them, took one step forward, and collapsed to a knee.

From the groves of his armor, a crimson liquid began to drip. From his chest, gorget, arms and legs. Blood flowed in a veritable stream. Were one to remove his armor, they would see his body riddled with lacerations. One for every cut he had inflicted upon his enemies.

He put power into his limbs and raised himself on trembling legs.

The three remaining men did not waste the golden opportunity presented to them. Two of them charged forward while the last caused a large flame to blossom on his hand.

The two warriors brandished their weapons, quickly coming inside the knight's guard, too close for the large scythe to be effective. Their weapons descended, the knight raised his left arm and took the first blade on his armored forearm, the second striking against the pauldron on his shoulder. The impact driving him to his knees once more. The two men raised their weapons one more time.

The knight's left hand darted forward between the legs of one of his assailants. He then took hold of the warrior's privates, and crushed them in a steel grip. Causing the man's eyes to bulge nearly out of his skull and emit an agonized high-pitched squeal.

The knight then _pulled_ on his hand hold, causing the man he had taken a hold of to follow the direction of the pull not to suffer any more agony than he already was. Putting him directly into the path of his compatriot's descending weapon. The edge of the sword impacting into his back with the wet sound of cut meat.

"Bastard!" Screamed the man as he threw his dying compatriot out of the way and raised his weapon once more.

He was not expecting the knight to push forward and tackle him, the greater weight of the armored man nearly toppling him. He began to struggle to push the bloodied knight off of himself, when a searing hot agony blossomed on his back, eliciting an agonized wail to free itself from his throat.

The pyromancer straightened from his throw as his last compatriot died covered in flames, a smirk adorning his face at his triumph.

When the flame covered knight walked forward through the superheated air as if he walked through a warm breeze, fire merrily dancing on his uncaring form, the pyromancer knew fear.

The great scythe moved forward with the intention of claiming his head. He quickly ducked down and brought up his left arm in hopes of deflecting the weapon with his buckler.

The blade of the scythe cut through his arm almost as if it were not actually present, a tremor running up the haft as it caught momentarily on his bone, deflecting the weapon up a fraction, allowing him to duck under the blade, suffering a small scratch on his scalp.

The knight's left arm hanged bonelessly, blood dripping from the gantlet in copious amounts.

The pyromancer swallowed his agonized scream, he summoned the toxins of his body into his lungs, using the primordial fire that he called his tool to craft them into a deadly weapon.

He called upon the perversion of the art of fire he learned from Eingyi before he was driven from the Great Swamp, and breathed out a large black fog. Where the mist not so thick, one would be able to see smoke rising from the stone floor as the mist corroded it.

Anyone that walked into it would be afflicted by powerful poisons, all but the hardiest men would die in minutes if they did not possess an anti-toxin powerful enough to contra rest its effects. Nobody would be foolish enough to walk through the fog, thus allowing him to prepare his strongest spell.

Which is why he froze in sheer shock as the battered, bleeding, burning, and now poisoned knight walked out of the black fog, as uncaring of it as he was of the flames merrily dancing on his form. He heaved the heavy scythe forward, its tip giving off a terrifying whistle as it cut the air and imbedded itself into the pyromancer's skull.

The knight wobbled on his feet, before turning slowly to stare at the last remaining man, who proceeded to push himself from the wall with a disgusted sigh. "If you want something done well eh? My my my. You are looking quite the worse for wear Shirou, maybe you should lie down for a moment."

The knight left the scythe imbedded on the dead pyromancer and staggered to the dead sorcerer, he planted a foot on the dead man's stomach and wrenched his enormous weapon out of the corpse. Settling it heavily on his shoulder.

"Still as talkative as ever I see." Continued the last remaining Darkwraith, unsheathing the signature weapon of his covenant. The Darksword causing the air around it to ripple, as if the blade were white hot.

The knight stumbled forward, he had to end the fight as soon as possible, otherwise he would collapse and Priscilla would be left helpless. With a heave of his entire body and a twist of his hips, he brought the enormous black greatsword in a slanted arc, his enemy simply stepped back, allowing the heavy tip of the blade to scratch his clothing, the weight of the weapon driving it into the ground.

The knight grit his teeth, took another step which caused the world to tip precariously and swung his weapon one more time, throwing all the power his weakening form could muster into the strike.

A strike that was dodged with contemptuous ease by his enemy. Who planted his foot on the blunt edge of the knight's weapon, locking it in place, stepped forward and drove the tip of his sword into the knight's hip through the ridges of the armor.

The knight grit his teeth and released an agonized grunt, he heaved and raised his weapon, causing his enemy to stumble back. Then once more twisted his hips and brought the sword that was too large to be called a sword forward.

The Darkwraith smashed his shield into the flat of the ascending blade, driving it from the knight's numb fingers with a grunt of effort. The sword skidded down the length of the floor, out the door that led to the wooden plank from which the knight had made his frequent exists, and fell out of view.

He then drove his blade point first into the knight's stomach, driving it forward almost to the hilt. "Aaaand good bye~" Whispered the man with glee coloring his voice. He then planted his foot upon the knight's abdomen and kicked him off the blade, throwing him to the ground where he fell on his back in an expanding pool of his own blood.

The Darkwraith turned back to the struggling half-dragon, where he spotted a few tears making their way down her cheeks.

His face-splitting grin was a thing of beauty indeed.

"Waitwaitwaitthischairwaitwai t!" Said the Darwraith with glee in his voice. "The _abomination_ is crying for the _broken hollow?_ By the Gods this is _**priceless!**_" He then bent forward and giggled, the force of his merriment nearly driving him to his knees.

"Thou art an appalling creature." Stated the half-dragon, her tail swishing sullenly behind her in a reflexive show of hostility. "Thou deserves nothing less than a thousand deaths."

The Darkwraith's smirk grew. "Name's Shinji, pleased to meet you, now die." His blade fell toward her neck.

Priscilla's face was covered in warm blood at the same time as the meaty thump of steel striking flesh resounded in the open room. Shinji's form fell to the floor, dazed by the heavy impact.

Shinji was driven out of his shock when the knight drove the edge of the kite shield into his forearm. Causing him to drop the Darksword from now-nerveless fingers.

"Why won't you just _die already!?"_ Demanded Shinji as he kicked at the knight's stomach, driving him back with the pain rather than the force of his kick.

Shinji shot to his feet and dove for his weapon, only to feel the heavy metal of the shield smash against his side, sending him tumbling. He stood again with fury painted across his face, only for the snarling direwolf to crush his nose, sending him reeling.

The knight relentlessly pursued him, striking him with the shield again and again and again. The knight broke his nose, cheeckbones, jaw, arms, legs, ribs, spine. When Shinji could move no more, the knight stood over him and drove the edge of the shield into his chest again and again. The meaty sounds of impact and agonized requests for quarter the only sounds in the chamber.

Eventually, only the sound of meat being pulped remained.

A long time later, the knight straightened, wobbling on his feet. He took the blood stained scabbard from the corpse's belt, strapped the great shield to his back, then picked up the dropped blade, and made his way to the chained half-dragon, the tip of the weapon drawing a carbonized line on the stones of the floor.

Once he reached Priscilla, he swung the sword with as much strength as he could muster, striking the mystic bonds that chained the half-dragon until they collapsed. With that done, he sheathed the sword, pulled a green flask from his belt, and drank deeply of its contents. He then bowed to her, gave a quick apology for the mess and his lack of a gift, turned, and began to walk down the wooden plank.

Priscilla stood, rubbing her wrists where the cruel chains had held her. Amazed that someone, _anyone_, would suffer such injury to protect another. "I ask of thee once more." Said Priscilla, causing the bleeding knight to stop halfway down the wooden plank from which he had made many an exit. "What dost thou seekest? What is thine desire? Why wouldst thou withstand such injury for one such as I?"

The knight turned back to her, his citrine orbs hard yet not cold. "Because a girl was in danger. That is all the reason I need." His statement made he turned back around and resumed his walk down the wooden plank.

As he reached its edge and bowed once more, Priscilla made one more query. "Knight, I would ask of thee thine name."

The knight straightened and met her gaze once more. "Name's not important. I'm just a knight."

His succinct declaration made he turned and wobbled off the plank, exiting Priscilla's home and prison.

Priscilla proceeded to quickly clean up the mess, calling forth some of the inhabitants of the world to aid her in her enterprise. All the while thinking about the selfless knight, recalling the name the last enemy had spat like a curse.

Four days later the knight returned, bearing yet another gift. He was surprised to see a woman a little taller than he himself.

He was driven speechless at her request to stay for dinner.


	20. Cat Days 2

So turns out we have a Tv Tropes page.

tvtropes(.org) pmwiki /pmwiki . php / Fanfic / The Lives And Times of Kaleido Shirou Schweinorg

Just remove spaces and parenthesis(man its such a pain to put up a harmless link here.)

Also, it has been brought to my attention that this collection of snippets might be getting a tad confusing to keep a track of.

As such I have a proposal. If ye readers would like me to make separate stories for these here snippets drop a review.

Example, the Berserk series in one story, the cat days in another, and the random ones made by other people in a third.

I don't do it cause it might be confusing (and I'm lazy). So drop me a review with how you would like that handled.

With that finished~

I felt like writing more Cat Days.

So I wrote more Cat Days.

Here ya go. (~￣c￣)~

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Gaul Galette des Rois stalked sullenly out of the castle. Ever since _that human_ had showed up, Leon had been dumping more and more of her duties on him so that she could spend her time getting petted to death by _that human_.

The fact that his older sister simply forced him to attend to his actual duties, then dumped a few of hers on him, making his work load about a fifth more than what it was supposed to be, completely failed to cross his mind.

Gaul strode out of the castle gates fuming by himself. The Genoise, his bodyguards, remained behind in the castle, seeking to monopolize as much of _that human's_ time as they could before Leon claimed him for herself.

If he were to be honest with himself (which he never would be at that), Gaul would have to admit he had been feeling a little lonely and dejected the last couple of days. Ever since _that human_ had woken up and petted Leon things had just gone downhill for the poor prince.

First it had taken him a full fifteen minutes to gain Leon's attention, the fact that she hissed and scratched him every time he tried to stop _that human_ from petting her had not helped the prince in the slightest.

After that, instead of punishing the interloper, Leon had decreed _that human_ was a guest of the house of Gallete de Rois and would be treated with the outmost respect. _That human_ would also stay in her quarters for _that human_ was still frail and wounded, thus _that human_ would not be moved in order to ensure there were no complications in _that human's_ condition and she could be sure of his recovery as was her duty as a hostess.

When the healers brought up the point that they could speed _that human's _recovery, Leon had quite calmly stated that their suggestion was under advisement and ran them from her quarters.

The half conscious human had gone right back to petting her, causing Gaul to witness many a purr and meow.

The next day Gaul had needed to drag Leon from her chambers in order for her to attend her duties. He had assigned the Genoise to watch over _that human_ and ensure he did not get in trouble.

By the time he returned (trailing after Leon who had dashed to her chambers the moment work was done) he was treated to the sight of his three body guards in a state not unlike when he found Leon that first time.

Two days later _that human_ woke up fully. He had apparently suffered both great injury and a terrible exhaustion escaping from someone who hunted him. Gaul had to admit _that human_ was not a bad guy. He had explained that using his magic he had arrived to the room by accident, having concentrated only on escaping. However the device he used for his magic seemed to have taken damage during his escape, so he seemed to be stuck with them. Nevertheless he apologized profusely for what he had done when half awake.

Turns out he was better at petting when fully awake.

Leon and the Genoise had never been happier.

However, the four of them (and the braver members of the staff) spent what time they could with _that human_. Leaving Gaul to fend for himself.

As such he had called on his friend/enemy/rival/idiot/human that is not _that human_. Cinque Izumi had decided to visit Vannette City and would hang out with Gaul at the latter's request for company.

Gaul arrived at the restaurant he had chosen as their rendezvous and was glad to see the Biscottian hero already present.

"Yo!" Called the Galettan prince as he pulled up a chair and sat down. "How ya doing blondie?"

"Ah! Gaul good to see you!" Answered Cinque with a warm smile on his boyish face. "How have you been buddy? Also...where are the Genoise? I was looking forward to meeting the-G…Gaul? W-Why are you staring at me like that?" Asked the enthusiastic young man with trepidation in his voice.

Gaul was glaring at his friend and rival, the fires of hell itself radiating out of his citrine orbs. A moment after that his face scrunched up, his throat released a sound that was most _certainly __**not**_ a sob and he collapsed unto the table.

"Nobody wants me." Bemoaned the crown prince of the country of Gallete. "I am just an extra, present for comedic relief." His miserable tears began to make a puddle below the young man. "I've been completely replaced by the addition of one more male to the cast, oooh woe is I."

Cinque was behind his friend and rival in an instant, patting his shoulder affectionaly and doing what he could to calm the worried stares of the other patrons as their crown prince collapsed into sobs. "G-Gaul…you…you are not making any sense, what's going on buddy? Talk to me."

Gaul's mood swung back to indignant rage at the Biscotean Hero's query. "It's _that human!_" Explained the leonine prince as he pointed to Cinque, causing the Hero and the entirety of the restaurant to gasp in dismay.

"T-T-This human?" Asked one of the waitresses as she stared at the petrified hero. She herself had thought the young human to be quite dashing and he was one of her favorites in the wars. But to think that he had betrayed the trust of the prince! The very thought was almost enough to send the betrayed young lady to tears.

Gaul did not pay attention as to whom the waitress was referring. "Yes! _That human!_ He thinks he can just step through a magic portal and come to _our nation!?_"

"B-B-But I was invited!"

"Not only that! But he comes in the middle of the night _and sneaks into Leon's room!_" Gaul's declaration caused a horrified gasp to emanate from the entire restaurant.

"H-He did!?" Asked every person in the restaurant with a blush coloring their face.

"I-I did!?" Asked Cinque with a bright blush on his own face.

"_YES HE DID!"_ Screamed Gaul. "He then had the _gall_ to stay in her room for _days!_"

"What!?"

"Not only that, but first thing he does when awake? He _petted Leon without asking for permission!"_

"WHAT!?"

"Not only that, but then he has the gall, the GALL. _To steal the Genoise from me!"_

All of the restaurant stood in shock, not wanting to believe that the popular Biscotean hero would be the type of man to do such a thing.

"H-How could you?" Asked the heartbroken waitress with tears streaking down her cheeks. "How could you do such a thing hero?"

Cinque snapped out of his shock. "I…I couldn't! I've been in Biscotti for the last two weeks! I don't know what Gaul is talking about!"

The call of "Liar!" and "Traitor!" was taken up by the patrons of the restaurant and the crowd outside that had been drawn by Gaul's outpouring of anger.

"Yes! He is! That damned bastard is in the castle even now! Lavishing under the attention of my guards and sister!" Roared Gaul, his indignant rage evident in his belligerent howl, his deafening declaration echoing in the room and from the walls of the buildings across the street.

The sudden silence was as brittle as it was palpable.

Gaul continued, not noticing he had lost support of the crowd. "He is turning them into his purring zombies as we speak! Something must be done against him!"

Cinque did something rather uncharacteristic of him.

He planted his face in his palms, at the very least the crowd did not seem like they wanted to lynch him.

Cinque walked to his sliver haired friend, took hold of the young prince's shoulders, looked him in the eye and asked one question. "Gaul…what are you talking about?"

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Shirou was surprised at the fact he was content.

Sure he still could not reliably move his left leg, and vision had not as of yet returned to his left eye. Not to mention the patches of numbness across his body and occasionally slurred speech due to some nerve damage. But all in all, things were far better than they _could_ have been.

As it was he had a warm bed, good meals, nice company, and a (relatively) safe place to recuperate, along with a population that seemed quite intent on helping him get better. As close to best case scenario as you could get no matter how you looked at it.

If there was one thing he could change however, would be how popular he seemed to have become.

If OS were not in shut-down for repairs. He would likely be overjoyed.

"B-But Milady Leon you can't put off your duties any longer! The senate needs you present in order to meet!" Said Violet Amaretto sternly, her lavender tail swishing sullenly behind her as she did what she could to chastise the noble purring on Shirou's lap.

"Send Gaul, ah! Right there~" Answered Leonmitchelli Galette des Rois as Shirou's rough hands caressed her soft as silk hair, his callused fingers stroked her ears, neck, and spine with a feather light touch.

"Mou! Sir Shirou I beseech you to stop that this instant!" Violet's tone made it known that more than a request it was a demand.

Shirou smiled at her, speaking slowly and carefully so his speech would not slur. "I would, but I have this fear she might scratch me if I stop."

No matter how much she wanted to, Violet could not refute that fact. "Milady Leon! You have duties to attend!"

Leon finally dignified her top aide with a look, before her nimble ears folded down and she snuggled more comfortably against Shirou.

"Don't go into ignore mode Milady Leon!"

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"Ok so let me get this straight." Said Cinque, a look of intense concentration adorning his face. "A wounded guy appeared out of nowhere into Leon's room."

Gaul nodded.

"This wounded guy slept for three days straight, the healers said he almost died, and at first you thought he was dead."

Gaul nodded some more.

"When he first woke up, he did not wake fully and petted Leon while half asleep, he is apparently very good at this."

Gaul nodded his head enthusiastically.

"Now that he is fully awake, you see that whatever damage he took left him almost an invalid, yet he says he'll be fine with rest."

Gaul nodded his head harder.

"Problem with this is that Leon demands he pets her as payment for her hospitality, to the point where she has begun shirking her duties in order to monopolize her guest. Not only that, but the Genoise spend as much of their time they can near him so that they can snatch whatever of his time Leon does not manage to monopolize."

Gaul nodded his head frantically.

"And because of this you are feeling lonely."

"I'm not feeling lonely!" Denied Gaul vehemently.

Cinque did not hear him however, his face was scrunched up in deep thought. "I wonder if he would teach me his technique."

Cinque's query caused the crown prince to slam his face against the table. "YOU TRAITOR!"

"Urk! Sorry sorry!"

Gaul sat back down with a huff. "If only he weren't so hurt I'd ask him for a fight and put him in his place." Muttered the prince.

"Well…is he really such a bad guy?"

Gaul sighed. "He's actually a pretty nice guy. It's just that his being here is such a pain you know?"

"Well, can I meet him?"

"Sure why not." Answered Gaul flippantly as he left the table.

Cinque quickly dropped some money on the table before hurrying after his friend.

Neither one noticed that everyone in the restaurant, who had not so secretly been listening in on their conversation, exploded into gossip the moment they left.

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"Gaul…what exactly am I looking at?" Asked Cinque with disbelief in his voice.

"You are seeing what I've had to deal with for the last four days." Answered Gaul sullenly, his voice muffled by the fact that his face was buried in his palms.

In front of the crown prince and Biscottian hero was who Cinque assumed to be the Galletan guest. He sat slightly slouched with his eyes closed and a look of mild concentration on his face, the sofa in which he rested had clearly been dragged to rest beside the large bed in the room. In the bed was Leonmitchelli Galette des Rois, who energetically chased a feather wand that was moved in lazy circles in front of her. Not only that, but Cinque could see Noir lying down on the sofa, resting her head on the lap of the man as the latter absently scratched her ears and petted her head.

How the man could manage to keep the feather wand away from Leon's grasping hands and pet Noir at the same time while clearly concentrating on something else was beyond him.

Cinque stared for a full minute. "He's good."

Gaul gave a despairing sob.

Cinque's succinct declaration managed to do something not even Gaul's loudest protest had managed.

He drew the attention of the purring ladies. "H-H-Hero!?" Squealed Leon, "F-Forgive this undignified display but…I just…I mean that I…" As Leon spoke, her eyes kept trailing away from the Biscottian hero, drawn like iron filings to a magnet by the puffy end of the tantalizing feather wand. "You see this is…my guest and he…" With a roar, Leon stopped giving her explanation and once more launched herself at the puffy feather wand, completely forgetting the presence of the 'enemy' hero.

Noir for her part, simply opened one eye, her crimson iris calmly regarding her prince and the hero. "Hey Cinque." She said softly, waving a hand in their overall direction. "Nice to see yo-waaah~" Her speech was interrupted when the man's hand trailed from her head, down her spine, and back up to softly caress her ears with a feather light touch.

"Does Nanami know about this?" Asked Cinque, suppressing the strange urge to join Leon in her quest to capture the fluffy end of the feather wand.

"Nah, she's still not back from visiting Becky in Pastillage."

"Ahh…"

The man started, finally noticing there was someone else in the room. His surprise caused the feather wand to stop and Leon finally apprehended it with a roar of triumph.

The redheaded man looked up, his yellow eyes, a deeper shade than those shared by the Galletean siblings, met Cinque's blue orbs.

"Ahh, hi there, didn't notice you come in." Said the man with a slight slur to his speech muddling his words, he then gave Cinque an apologetic smile. "Don't think we've met, name's Shirou, I'd shake your hand but…well for the moment that distance would be a bit difficult for me."

"Ah! Forgive me, my name is Cinque Izumi, Hero of Biscotti."

Cinque and Gaul walked into the room, shutting the door behind them. Gaul giving the man on the sofa a dirty look.

Shirou smiled. "I see he still hasn't forgiven me eh?" All through everything he had not stopped petting Noir, nor had he paused for long in his movement of the feather wand once it became clear Leon could not be allowed victory for long.

Gaul's face colored but he refused to apologize.

"Yeah…he's like that." Said Cinque apologetically, he then turned to Shirou, noticing the distinct lack of ears or a visible tail. "But…sir, if you don't mind my asking. How did you get here? I know for a fact that for a human to be here they'd need to be summoned."

Shirou gave the blond young man a shrewd smile. "Do you now? But then…if someone knew how to work the mechanism of getting here in the first place, could they achieve arrival without the need of a summoner?"

Cinque digested this, trying to understand what the man meant. Then realization of exactly what the man implied struck him like a lightning bolt, causing his eyes to widen. "You don't mean-!"

The door to the room banged open.

"Milady Leon~! I'm back and ready to play~!" Said Nanami Takatsuki happily. She then caught sight of what exactly was going on.

The room was completely quiet save for the purrs emitted by Leon and Noir.

"Yo Nanami! I see you're back!" Said Gaul with a wide smile.

Nanami did not hear him, she then broke out into tears and wailed. "M-M-Milady Leon…She's being stolen from meeee!"


	21. The Second Flame

Kudos to Faith for Betaing this chapter.

Aight, after much deliberation (and procrastination) I've chosen to take the advice of some of the reviewers and have decided to give the story...continuities specific names that will easily set them apart.

One name for this one.

A second name for the continuity that started with Cat Days.

And a third name for non-connected/short-but-connected works by other writers.

This is where you guys come in.

In order to involve the readers a little more (and because I'm lazy :P) I shall leave the names up to _you_ my loyal readers in FFN! :D

Drop a name for each of the story continuities on a review! I'll pick the ones that I think are the coolest, and name them that. If the need comes in the future to add another name to another separate continuity, I will put up another naming challenge. :3

Also, Tomoyo After finally has a completed translation patch. If you are another that was waiting for that with bated breath, rejoice more than Kotomine Kirei at speed dating. For it is out, and it is glorious.

Without further ado.

Strategic Snippet Bomb!└（￣▽￣）┘

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_"Signum, could you please get Vita and Rein? I'm almost done with dinner." Said Hayate Yagami to her knight as she put the finishing touches to her meal._

_Signum nodded and wordlessly headed upstairs to Vita's room. The sound of rapid firing weapons as well as warcries could be heard from the partially open door._

_"Boom! Headshot!" Said Reinforce Zwei as her avatar with severely oversized pauldrons fired a .75 caliber round perfectly into the eyepiece of an enemy that looked much the same but with spikes._

_"You think you're all that!?" Screamed Vita from her own screen as her own character lifted heavily into the air thanks to what appeared to be a jet backpack. "ON ANGEL WINGS OF FIRE FROM THE SKIES WE DESCEND!" A moment after that a hammer was swung into the spiked helmet of an enemy, killing them instantly._

_Only for a grenade to explode and kill Vita's character. What looked like a spiked eight-pointed wheel appeared on the screen along with the word 'DEFEAT' in bright red._

_"Mou! Vita!" Said Reinforce as she pouted at the smaller knight._

_"What!?" Answered Vita indignantly. "Not my fault our team was a bunch of noobs!"_

_Signum interrupted before the argument could begin in earnest. "Dinner is ready you two, go wash up."_

_"Yes moooom." Answered Vita petulantly while Reinforce shrunk and zoomed out the room._

_Shaking her head Signum headed back down to the dinner table._

_By the time she arrived everyone was already sitting and waiting for her. As she began to pull her chair out Hayate spoke up._

_"Hey Signum, sorry to bother you but could you turn on the tv? I'd like to get a look at the news."_

_Signum gave her a soft smile. "Sure thing." She walked back to the living room and found the remote, then turned on the television._

_"-tring of arson has the Mid Childan authorities completely lo-"_

_"Argh not this again!" Called Zafira from the dining table, causing Shammal to look at her fellow knight with concern._

_"Hm? What happened?"_

_"Remember last week when we were trying to track down that guy? Well turns out that they're _still_ finding things that were broken or damaged during the chase."_

_Signum set down the remote while Zafira continued his explanation, somewhat confused by his statement. She could not for the life of her remember chasing someone in the past week._

_As she straightened a wave of the cruelest cold she had ever felt rolled over the interior of the house. She could see frost coating every surface as her breath misted in front of her. The cold brought with it a feeling of outmost danger. She turned, her hand reaching for Laevatein's standby form hanging from her neck, a warning flying from her lips. When she saw the place where her family had been she froze._

_They were not there. There was only a wall of scorching flame. Yet for all its fury, the flame could not vanish the arctic chill, seeming instead to feed it even as it fought against it._

_Signum raised her arm to shield her face from the heat, she prepared to jump away from it, only for her legs to fold under her, dropping her to the cold muddy ground, a pain so strong it left her unable to move assaulting her senses._

_From the wall of fire a figure stepped forth. A man in a set of blackened plate armor walked through the fire, as uncaring of it as if it were but a warm breeze. He stood at the edge of the crater upon which Signum found herself, the helm regarding her with a cold impartiality._

_He then knelt and extended one of his gauntlets to her, flames not unlike those that the inferno was composed of dancing merrily from his form._

_Signum hesitated but for a moment before extending her hand. As her hand was enveloped in the gauntlet of the knight, the sound of tearing metal and meat assaulted her ears at the same time that she felt something warm and wet splatter on her face._

_A horn of ivory twisted and thick, protruded from the knight's chest._

_The enormous demon stood and threw its head back in a triumphant roar, the knight hanging bonelessly from its horn._

Signum screamed as she reached for her weapon with numb, unfeeling fingers.

Then the agony caused by all of her injuries crashed into her awakening mind, eliciting an agonized grunt to emanate from her throat.

She looked about herself and saw that she was still in the crater that she had been deposited in. Her chest hurt as if a fire had been lit in it, at least four ribs broken and, judging by the agony that breathing caused, a potentially punctured lung. Signum coughed, and the spasm caused a burning anguish in her chest and blood to splatter the ground in front of her. Make that a punctured lung.

She could not feel her left leg, but considering the extra bends that should most certainly not be there, she was going to count that as a blessing. She could use her arms; they remained fine thanks to some miracle.

She dug her hands into the freezing cold mud and pulled herself to the edge of the crater, ignoring the lances of pain even the slightest movement caused upon her form. Once she reached the lip of the crater she surveyed the battlefield and attempted to see how long she had been out.

She most certainly did not like what she saw.

By the north side of the manor, a swordsman in black armor faced off against a veritable giant. As she watched, the slab of iron he lugged around rent a shield that was larger than her cleanly in two.

A moment later the Black Swordsman did a pirouette in the air that no man in that much armor should be able to complete while under the tender mercies of gravity, and brought his weapon down upon the giant's shoulder. The giant in draconic armor blocked it with the haft of his enormous hammer, only for the blunt edge of the black weapon to cut cleanly through it and imbed itself into his shoulder, nearly sending him to his knees.

A few moments after that, fire spewed from the wound instead of blood. The fire intensified until it resembled a tornado of flame, and from the giant's form exploded something much, much greater.

With a roar, an enormous stone dragon stood where once a man had knelt, its crystalline scales resplendent as they reflected the firelight of the burning mansion. It proceeded to attack the swordsman with its massive tail, an attack that the swordsman took full on. Simple physics dictated that he should be sent flying, a broken and mangled wreck.

Apparently nobody informed him of that, as the Black Swordsman not only shrugged off the attack, but stepped forward and drove his blade into the tip of the dragon's nose.

Recognizing she could do nothing to aid that situation in her current state, she dismissed it from her mind. She had more important things to worry about.

Signum looked away from the escalating battle between the swordsman and the dragon. Seeking the person upon whom hanged what could very well be her only chance to return home to her family.

When she spotted him, she did not know if she should be happy or horrified.

Judging by the fact that he was covered in fire, it would be safe to say that he was the cause of the infernal heat. Yet due to the fact that he was not only covered in, but was the center of an ever expanding circle of hoarfrost, she could only deduce that he was the root of the arctic chill.

The opposing energies had to have been playing hell on his body.

She could see Zodd, the demon, standing slowly a ways away from the sitting knight. By sheer necessity using the trees and ground as support, yet every time he lay a paw on the ground or a tree, the merciless chill caused the limb to freeze unto whatever surface it touched.

Signum attempted to stand, to do anything. If Zodd were to regain its footing, it would kill Shirou and that would be it. She would be stuck in this world.

She could not allow further harm to fall upon the slider.

Yet she simply could not move, her injuries much too extensive.

She lay back on the ground panting, the slight effort having exhausted her, and knew fury.

She was the General of Fire, the Knight of the Blade. And at the moment she might as well have been as helpless as a new born kitten.

Signum could not accept such a thing and attempted to stand again, when she was unable to. She gathered what energies she could and floated out of the crater she was in.

She could barely manage to get a foot of altitude.

She saw Shirou standing, the mystery of how he managed to do so in what were clearly two broken legs completely beyond her. She saw him reach for his chest, the motion causing the heat to intensify.

_'Young lady.'_ Spoke Flora's voice directly into her mind. _'I believe that in order for anyone to survive the next couple of minutes, we would do well to aid one another.'_

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Flora sat calmly in her chair, surrounded by the fire that was quickly consuming her home. Yet for all the attention she paid to the dancing flames one would think they were not present.

She finished relaying the last of her instruction to her pupil. Her pupil's destiny was now out of her hands. Schierke would either step up to it, or be ground to dust under it.

Quite the deadly rite of passage.

Flora sighed, keeping the fires at bay sapping ever more of her waning strength. Yet she dared not stop. In her mind's eye she could see the shade that had taken control of the Young Wanderer. That fire…that primordial flame, it was like no sorcery she had ever borne witness to. It was not something unnatural, otherwise the Spirits would not flock to it so eagerly. Yet if it was allowed to grow it would in all likelihood consume the world.

In her youth, Flora might have been able to strangle such a flame in its infancy, the effort would have left her drained for days or even weeks. Now, her very best would be like a small raindrop against a forest fire.

She could not ask her friend to deal with this threat, for even though he sought to hide it from her, she could feel it emanating from him; the desire to feed that fire, to allow it to consume him so it could grow. It was almost a physical pull, an ardent compulsion, fighting it had all but paralyzed him.

She needed something else, something powerful. A flame needed air to burn, if one were to keep the air from reaching the flame, it would eventually consume itself. A wild flame could be killed by setting off an even stronger, but controlled blaze next to it.

Yet where was she to find a flame powerful enough to accomplish such a feat?

The Young Wanderer's companion stirred from the slumber that had been inflicted upon her. She was battered, severely wounded, and bleeding. Yet the desire to fight still burned bright within her. Laying down and letting nature take its course was not even seen as an option by that young woman.

A small glint appeared in Flora's eye, and she concentrated some of her waning power into making contact with the not-quite human.

_'Young lady.'_ Spoke Flora directly into her mind. _'I believe that in order for anyone to survive the next couple of minutes, we would do well to aid one another.'_

To Flora's supreme relief, the young lady wasted no time. _'What do you have in mind?'_

Flora hesitated, what she was about to ask was not something that could be taken lightly. _'Young lady, I am about to die.' _Flora could feel a spike of surprise and alarm from the young woman, she barreled on through before more time could be wasted. _'Once I die, I will be able to do something to halt the coming doom. But if things remain as they are, I will simply be drawn to the fire your companion has started, and be consumed by it._

_'If I am to do something about it, I will need an anchor, something to allow me to hold unto myself while I drown the fanning spark.'_

Signum remained quiet for a moment before speaking. _'What do you need from me?'_

_'I need you to be my anchor. I need you to trust your body to me, to allow me to take control, so that I may use your fires and calm that flame before it becomes an inferno.'_

Signum remained quiet for a few moments before responding. _'What happens if you don't?'_

_'The phantom will feed the Young Wanderer to that fire, and all will die in flame and ash.'_

The answer was immediate. _'Do it.'_

Flore sighed in relief and closed her eyes.

At that moment, Flora the witch of the forest died amidst smoke and flame.

Thus the Spirit of Fire was born.

The fires of the mansion warped, dancing in a bizarre fashion, until they resembled a form humanoid in shape. The fires solidified and formed the face of Flora, her aged body and face quickly becoming that of a young woman in her prime.

As soon as the Spirit was born, it felt that it had stepped onto a vortex. At the heart of the vacuum lay a fledgling flame, something that had to be fed, it could feel a primordial _need_to feed it, allow it to grow until it could dance free and bring all to ash.

Steeling itself, it concentrated upon its target. A woman, not entirely human, a creature of magic flesh and mystic bone. The Spirit fell upon its target like a wildfire, seeking entry in the most rudimentary of ways. The eyes, mouth, ears, any entry that would allow it to step away from the vortex if even but for a moment. The Spirit failed to even notice the host's agonized wail.

The Spirit saw the ruin that was its host. The corded muscle that was too damaged to move, the bones too fragile to walk.

This would not do at all.

Fire raced through Signum's flesh, knitting together everything that had been rent. Where her flesh was lacerated, a burning heat would traverse and leave behind corded muscle. Where bone had been broken or outright pulverized, fire would fuse. All of her ails were quickly treated, leaving her in perfect condition.

Where she in control of her limbs, the sheer torture of it would have driven even Signum to her knees.

When Signum's eyes opened, they retained their sapphire coloration. Yet they resembled the hottest of flames more than a precious stone.

She had to hurry, before her humanity was fully consumed. Her eyes settled upon her target, the center of the storm.

She could only pray it was not too late.

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The dagger had been broken.

That was the summation of the Knight's mind. He was not confused or disoriented, nor was his mind in chaos.

There was only a cold apathy, a false calm. The dagger had been broken.

The proof of his bond, the gift which Priscilla had made to him, lost.

The dagger had been broken.

No matter the cost to himself or others, he would have retribution. No other outcome was possible or acceptable. No reparation could be made. He would have the life of the one that had broken it. Or die in the attempt.

He took a step forward, his leg able to support his weight thanks only to the armor which covered it. His arms hung limply, his right hand convulsively gripping the hoarfrost covered remains of the once unassuming weapon, his left trembling, several of its digits bent in awkward directions. The knight absently noted that he could feel the tips of his ribs brushing against his lungs.

He took another step forward, the leg wobbling slightly as his weight settled upon it.

The Knight failed to notice the state his body was in, nothing more than a poor distraction. All that mattered was that the demon would burn.

Zodd managed to get his feet under him, then forcefully tore his hand away from the tree trunk it had been frozen to. Had he the breath left over, he would give his grunting laugh. As it was he barely managed to speak in between pants.

"To think…that you had…such powerful sorceries. But this…will not help you." Zodd put power into his legs and tore his foot away from the frozen ground with the sound of a breaking boulder. He set his foot down heavily and attempted to tear the other out of the ground. "I would ask of you…your name."

The Knight took another step. "I have no name to give the likes of you." He brought his left hand to his chest, his palm parallel to the ground, and closed it, as if gripping a hilt that was not present.

The fires of his armor intensified, and a golden glow appeared an inch from the blackened knight's chest, not unlike a mirage caused by heat. From this dancing apparition sprung forth a rusted hilt, its grip covered in the remains of a crumbling and blackened cloth. His left hand gripped the rusted hilt and pulled, drawing forth a long blade. It was blunt, old, and rusted, crumbling apart even as one looked upon it. So covered was it in rust, ash, and other impurities, that to clean the blade would be an exercise in futility. A red flame danced slowly on its tip, its mere presence warming Zodd's chilled bones. Yet not even the presence of this too ancient weapon could banish the arctic chill.

The frost covering the half of the dagger in the knight's right hand grew, becoming a blade of ice, lengthening until it was the exact length of the dagger it previously was. A pale imitation of the beauty it had once possessed.

Zodd smiled.

"My beloved foe…you misunderstand." A manic glint appeared in the demon's eye. At this point in time he was not worried about duty, or his liege. He cared not for the world or the consequences of his actions. At that precise moment in time, Zodd the Immortal of War was forced to face his quite real mortality, and rejoiced in it. "_I live for moments like this!"_Roared the demon as he sprang forward, his heart hammering in what could only be described as terror from the prospect of facing the ruin that even now advanced steadily toward him.

A howling tornado of flame erupted between them, covering the blackened knight completely and separating the two.

_"Zodd!"_ Screamed the blackened knight with fury in his voice at the same time as the demon released a roar of outrage. _"Zodd you coward! Don't you dare flee from me!"_

Zodd searched desperately for the source of the intense flame that separated him from his foe. This could not be, he would not stand for it. To be brought to the brink not once, but twice! To think that twice he would be forced to face his very real mortality, to gamble it all in strength of limb and speed of wit! And to be twice denied!

He would not stand for it.

**"WHERE ARE YOU!?"** Screamed Zodd, an edge of desperation clear in his voice. **"SHOW YOURSELF! I WILL NOT BE DENIED AGAIN!"**

His searching eyes brought upon him a sight he most certainly did not expect to see. His foe's woman stood in her full glory, one hand extended and glowing with power as she fed the flames that kept him from meeting battle. Yet Zodd could see that something was wrong, the woman's blue eyes shone with an ethereal light.

She was merely being used to keep him from combat.

Zodd prepared to charge at her, only for a grey shield with the depiction of a rose to smash into his chest, the impact sending him to the floor away from his intended target.

Zodd pushed himself to his knees, and saw the nameless Skull Knight, battered and beaten but standing proud. Hunting down all of the apostles had taken quite a toll.

"My beloved foe." Said Zodd. "At any other time I would relish combat against you, but you cannot deny me this moment. I must face that knight and prevail, or perish in the attempt, my pride will stand for nothing less."

The Skull Knight regarded the large demon for a few moments before speaking. _"That is the main difference between us my foe."_ Whispered the knight as he set his sword across his body, his steed prancing a few steps in anticipation. _"You think only of battle, while I look to the devastation such a confrontation would cause."_

Zodd tightened his paws into fists, uncaring that the mangled flesh of his hands screamed in protest. "You cannot deny me this." Stated Zodd, hatred emanating hotly from his eyes. "I will not accept such an insult, not even from you."

The Skull Knight lowered his helm for a moment, causing Zodd to entertain a moment of hope. _"It would seem that the both of us do battle tonight for unusual reasons. En Garde."_

They rushed toward each other, both fighting with an edge of desperation. The Skull Knight in an attempt to delay the demon long enough for the fire to be put out. Zodd, in an attempt to overwhelm his most beloved foe so that he could finish his battle against the two knights.

A very strange night indeed.

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The Knight walked forward to the flame, frantic in his need to slay Zodd. Breathing was becoming difficult, and he only noticed his shallow breath because it made it harder to walk. He could honestly not care less about the heat. It was nothing compared to the unending agony that the flames of the Lord of Cinder had inflicted upon him.

Zodd _had_to die.

Before he could step through the wall of fire that kept him from the battle. The woman he knew should be unconscious and dying stepped through it instead, not a scratch on her.

Were the circumstances any different, he would have been extremely relieved.

"Step aside." Alas, it was not to be.

The woman looked at him, her sapphire gaze too deep and knowing. "I cannot specter, if I let you run free, you will bring ruin to this world."

The Knight took another step forward, his leg wobbling with a wet noise before he settled his weight so that his armor took the brunt of it. "Step. Aside."

"I told you already specter, I cannot. If I allow your vengeance to take its course, naught but ash will remain in this world." Explained the woman once more, her glowing orbs unerringly tracking every movement the knight made.

He took another wobbling step, the fires of his armor steadily losing strength. "I don't care! **Step! Aside!**"

The Spirit frowned, talking sense into the enraged specter did not seem likely, yet all of its power and that of its host was spent in simply containing the spark, and it could spare not even a drop to do anything more. "You would bring fire and ruin to this world on a perceived wrong? You should know the truth specter, you should be able to feel that you are but a copy that the Young Wanderer called on for aid. Would you truly feed a life not your own to flames just so you can enact your revenge? Where is your sense of honor, oh knight?"

The Knight took one more step, placing him within reach of the one who barred his way. The rusted blade rose slowly, held at an angle above his head. The errant flames of his armor guttered out, flowing unto his arm and causing the ash-covered blade to burn hotter. A single flame, proud as a garnet blazed forth, so hot did it burn that it did what not even the tornado that surrounded them had managed to do. It banished the unnatural cold completely and utterly. "I lost the right to have any pride or honor when my bond broke. I say this for the last time woman. Step. Aside."

The Spirit of Fire stared at the blackened knight. A fevered despair evident in the single golden eye, visible only thanks to the fact he had not bothered to fix his helm. "No." Was her succinct response.

The golden eye blazed as the sword descended.

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"Hey how long do you think she's going to stand like that?" Asked Isidro as he nervously observed the fight between Guts and the Dragon. "I'm afraid that any moment that big ass thing will send Guts flying directly into us and squish us all."

Serpico regarded the child for a few moments, before returning his eyes to the opposite end of the clearing, where he could see a dome of flame blazing. "I don't know." Said the man succinctly, changing the direction of his gaze to worriedly stare at the witch. She had been standing immobile for several minutes, were it not because he could see her chest rise and fall he could be convinced she was a statue.

"Yer not very good at making conversation ya know?" Muttered Isidro sullenly, watching as the dragon caught Guts's sword and stomped on it, trapping it in the ground. Guts caught one of the dragon's fingers in between the ridge of his helm and the gorget of his armor, then crushed it, almost as if biting into it in an attempt to free the Dragonslayer. Isidro shuddered. "Guts is friggin inhuman…wonder how that guy and the chick are doing?"

Serpico opened his mouth to remind Isidro their names. Before he could utter a word, Puck and Evarella smacked into his face and ricochet in different directions.

"HOOOLY SHHHHIIIIIT!" Screamed Puck, his eyes wide and panicked as he dived into Isidro's hair. "That was a close one!"

Evarella flew to Schierke's hat and plopped down upon it. Once there she proceeded to pant in obvious exhaustion.

"Heya Puck where did you guys go?" Asked Isidro.

"Oh man it was _horrible!_ There was this fire! And this light! And I thought 'Ohhh pretty!' and I ran to it, and when I got there I saw this other spirit, and it burned! And I thought '_ooohhh preeeety!'_ And then that nice lady with the weird hair made a big fire go boom! And it singed my butt! And it was very scary! And I ran back here! **_And it was horrible!_**" His explanation given, Puck buried himself in Isidro's hair and wailed out his despair.

"…...Wut?"

As Puck opened his mouth to reiterate his explanation, Schierke gasped and collapsed to her knees.

Serpico was beside her in a heartbeat. "Lady Witch are you well?"

Schierke spoke between pants. "I can't…reach him. He's too…wild, too far gone." As she made her statement, a black projectile flew past them and shattered its way through several trees.

The five of them stared for a long moment, the silence heavy and palpable.

"Was that-?" Began Isidro before the sight before him caused him to lose all ability to speak.

Out of the hole shattered in the trees stepped the Black Swordsman. His right arm held onto his weapon while his left hung back and forth at an unnatural angle, clearly broken at the shoulder and the humerus. His left leg was a mangled ruin, broken in at least five places, causing it to wobble disgustedly whenever he put weight on it.

Suddenly, with a wet crunch, his arm and leg seemed to set themselves correctly as a small shower of blood seeped out of the ridges of his armor. With a bloodcurdling howl, Guts catapulted himself at the dragon once more, the slab of iron moving with the speed of a twig caught in a whirlwind.

"It was." Said Evarella as Serpico, Isidro, and Puck were driven speechless by the spectacle. Rather than waste time, Schierke once more projected her astral body and sunk herself into Guts.

Heat assailed her, the rage the swordsman had unleashed assailing her astral senses like a physical barrier. She hurried and sunk lower into his subconscious, seeking to find any shard, any piece of him that fought the chaos.

She did all she could not to see the many memories that assaulted her mind. She had caught but a mere glimpse before, and she knew, she did not suspect, did not feel, she _knew_madness lay down that dark lonely path.

Schierke had to hurry. Guts' body would not last much longer.

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The Knight stood immobile, the rusted weapon held in a white knuckled grip. His arm trembling, impeded in its movement forward as surely as if steel wires were wrapped around it.

**_'All is fair in love and war!'_**

He couldn't do it.

**_'Because he loves you very much!'_**

**_'What!'_**  
**_'What!?'_**

Memories not his own were coursing through his being.

**_'SHUT UP OS!'_**

The Knight clenched his teeth and moved the edge of the flames half an inch closer to the woman's hair, the acrid stench of burnt hair filling his nostrils a moment later.

**_'If I stick OS underwater, will he drown?'_**

His hand began to tremble, fighting an unstoppable force that sought to reverse the motion of his arm.

**_'He _****_adopted_****_ you, that means he had to take responsibility and raise you until you would be able to fare for yourself!'_**

Slowly, inexorably, his arm was pushed back until the garnet red flame of the weapon could no longer singe the woman's rose locks.

'**_On second thought, go right ahead…I think I would lose a little less of my masculinity that way.'_**

His breath quickened until it resembled the ragged gasps of a man facing his imminent demise as the internal conflict raging within him took its toll.

**_'Tch. I swear you are worse than Zafira. He always has to be dragged kicking and screaming to sickbay, and he will insist on walking himself there even if he has two broken legs.'_**

He could no more harm the woman standing in front of him, than he could have taken flame and blade to the crossbreed who had held his bond.

The rusted blade was slowly, oh so very slowly lowered to his side. The incandescent blaze that covered it lost strength, until it was little more than a flickering fire, a flame that would do little more than vanish the chill from the bones of a weary traveler.

"Woman." Said the Knight, his voice chocked and heavy with emotion. "Woman I _beg_ of you, this is something I _must_to do. Please, step aside."

The Spirit of Fire regarded the weeping knight for several moments before speaking. "I understand where your heart is, good knight. But I cannot allow you to take your revenge, the price to this world would be much too high."

The Knight lowered his head, the warring desires in his body and mind keeping him immobile, trapping him better than any cage of stone or steel ever would.

"Tell me, sir Knight." Said the Spirit slowly. "You said the proof of your bond had been broken. But would that not mean that the bond itself remains intact?"

The Knight returned her stare for a long moment, before giving her a barked laugh. "What does it matter? It would change nothing, and I am not long for this world." His eye blazed. "But know this, Spirit. If ever I encounter you again, you will rue this day. This I vow."

With his declaration made, the Knight's armor began to lose solidity, as if he were becoming a Specter in truth. The form of the Knight faded away, transforming into dust swept away in the wind. With a multicolored flash of light, Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg stood in front of the Spirit of Fire.

Then his two broken legs folded under him and dropped him to the floor.

His mouth opened and closed a few times, not unlike a fish out of water. "I…hurt." He said intelligently.

The Spirit knelt beside the slider. "You would do well to be more careful whose aid you take in the future Young Wanderer."

Unfortunately for the slider, the shock of the plethora of injuries his body had sustained during the heavy fighting had robbed him of consciousness.

The Spirit regarded him for a few moments more, before exiting its host in a manner as violent as its original intrusion, causing the young woman to fall to her knees.

The enormous spirit regarded the kneeling woman for a few moments before speaking. _"Your services were much appreciated young lady, but you would do well to leave this place. Tell my pupil I will guard her retreat, and that I loved her as if she were of my own flesh and blood."_

With that the spirit walked away, leaving behind a blazing trail as it walked toward the stone dragon that even now battled against the Black Swordsman. Signum finally managed to get her breathing under control, recovering from the brutal means of possession. If she had the spare time, she would complain about the experience. Alas, time was a valuable commodity she could not afford to waste. She looked at the unconscious slider, then, with a grunt of effort, picked him up in a fireman carry.

"You know lady. This is the second time I've seen you carry my boss like its nothing and I'm still surprised you can do it. How do you hide that much muscle anyways?" Asked the jeweled sword from the slider's hip.

"The world almost ended, I've been possessed, Shirou is bleeding to death, and _that's_what you worry about?" Asked Signum as she settled the slider's weight as comfortably as she could over her shoulders.

"A sword has to worry about the important things in life." Answered the weapon unashamedly.

"Shut up OS." Signum expectantly started to float toward the fairies. She could only hope they could squeeze enough powder out of them to stabilize Shirou.

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Guts gasped as he awoke from the chaotic haze that had taken over everything.

Then he realized he was standing in front of an enormous stone beast.

**_"Take my scorching flames!"_**Screamed the creature that had no business producing any language that was even remotely human as it expelled a titanic breath, causing a wall of fire to rush at the surprised swordsman.

Before it could reach him, a woman taller than the dragon and clothed in flames stood in front of it, causing it to part like a stream around a rock.  
_"You would do well to leave branded one. My struggles have greatly drained me, but I will guard your retreat."_

**_"You think you can stand in the path of a fire dragon?"_** Asked Grunbeld with a chuckle as he scuttled forward on his squat legs. Before he could reach the spirit, a wall of flame sprang forth, its heat causing him to step back from them with a hiss. **_"What? Flames a fire dragon cannot pass?"_**

The Spirit of Fire smirked. _"Come now, this is but a cool breeze compared to the fires that were released earlier."_

As the two titans faced off behind him, Guts jogged back to Schierke, Serpico, and Isidro, the older man cradling the form of the unconscious girl.

"Hey Guts...ya back?" Asked Isidro with trepidation as the tall form of the Black Swordsman loomed over them.

He stood in front of them for a few moments, before the lupine helmet of his armor retracted, revealing his blood covered face. His black hair liberally streaked with snow white locks.

"Well shit…I guess yer back." Said Isidro after a few moments of silence.

A moment after that Signum landed beside them. "We need to leave, _right now_." Stated the swordswoman.

"We'll need someone fit enough to fight." Said Guts, before wordlessly picking up the unconscious form from her back with one hand and settling it across his shoulder. "Please, guard the rear." Without waiting for an answer, he began to leave the area with steady ground-eating leaps.

Serpico and Isidro were not far behind, Signum falling into step behind them.

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The nameless horseman was driven from his horse, both warrior and steed exhausted past the point where they could halt the movement of the rabid demon.

Zodd frantically cast his eyes around the clearing, seeking the form of the Blackened Knight.

He spotted a familiar head of bright pink hair, its owner burdened by a figure he recognized even though it wore the armor no more.

Frantic Zodd rushed to the edge of the clearing, instinctively calling forth his mangled wings. It would be days yet before they recovered enough to allow flight, but even so he used them to propel himself forward all the faster.

He quickly stepped around the hesitating dragon, yet his chase was brought to an abrupt halt as the enormous form of a woman clad in flames barred his way to his quarry.

_"I shall not allow you to step forth undead one. My guests shall leave unmolested."_

Zodd stared up at the figure, his teeth audibly grinding against one another as he crouched, preparing to throw himself at the being of flame. "_Nothing_ will stop me from ending my battle against the knights, **_NOTHING!_**"

_"Your battle ended the moment you were separated, undead one. The Knight is no more."_

_"YOU LIE!"_Screamed Zodd as he trembled with fury. "I can smell him even now! Step. Aside."

The Spirit of Fire gave the frantic demon a ferocious smirk, the fires she was clothed in intensified, starting to sizzle Zodd's exposed tissues. _"You shall not pass demon. This I vow."_

The head of pink hair moved further. Frenzied, Zodd threw himself forward into the flames seeking to pass through and chase down the two knights. Yet the heat of the flames was a better barrier than any edifice made by man. While Zodd could have barreled his way through meters of stone, in his weakened and wounded state, he could do nothing to guard against the infernal heat driving him back and trapping him in the clearing.

The head of hair that had been the beacon for his hope disappeared form sight. Zodd once more attempted to throw himself into the fire, gritting his teeth to bear the merciless blaze. But it was for naught, his struggles had left him too drained.

Zodd, the Immortal of War, stood powerless against a mere spirit. His wounds ensuring he could not accomplish his most ardent wish.

His grieving howls could be heard over a mile away.

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It had taken a full five days, five long, cold, frightful days. In which the Black Swordsman and the Slider walked the narrow edge that separated life and death.

The injuries suffered by Guts were by far the most extensive. The spikes driven into his flesh by the armor, the metal intrusions that had reinforced and forcibly fused his broken bones to allow him to fight had very nearly destroyed him. Even so, the armor had spectacularly protected him from harm.

In comparison, Shirou's injuries had been much less gruesome, if more severe. Several ruptured organs, pulverized bones, and severe internal bleeding that had almost made his lungs collapse before aid could be diverted from Guts. The slight pause in treatment had almost cost the man his life.

Now, the Slider and the Black Swordsman faced one another in the hill from which their parths would part. They regarded each other with somber expressions, then traded grips.

Guts smirked. "You are still a wuss."

Shirou sneered. "You are still an idiot."

He quickly traded goodbyes with the rest of the people he had gotten to care for after the course of the week. If he were to be honest with himself (Which he never would be at that) he could feel his eyes filling with moisture.

"I'll miss you OS! I'll learn to write so I can write you letters! And send you treats! And we can go hunting for a date together!" Wailed Puck as he ferociously hugged the jeweled sword.

"Oh god why the crying? It's always the crying. I don't get paid enough for this crap." Muttered OS while Puck continued the list of things he would do to keep in touch.

"Miss Signum? There is something I want to ask you before you leave." Said Schierke slowly.

Signum, who had been busy holding off the advances of Caska until Farneze managed to get the excitable girl under control, turned to the small girl and gave her a smile. "Yes? What is it?"

"Why do you paint your hair such an outrageous color?"

The entirety of the group went quiet.

"Excuse me?" Asked Signum with a thunderstruck expression.

"Well…bright pink is not a natural color. So I wondered why someone with such beautiful hair as you would go through the trouble of dying it."

Everyone remained quiet for a few moments, before OS and Shirou collapsed to the floor laughing.

Signum's cheeks were colored a light pink, but she answered with dignity most nobles would spend their entire lives attempting to imitate. "Pink is my natural hair color."

Her statement was met with unbelieving stares and more laughter from the Slider and his weapon.

That is, until she kicked the two of them.

His mirth finally under control. Shirou approached Guts.

"Hey Guts." Said the Slider slowly. "I know we've caused you guys a tad bit of trouble. Hell I probably slowed you down the few times we fought together. But I want you to have something." Shirou dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a gem, in a word it was beautiful. At first glance it looked white, but closer inspection would show it was not one single color, but a chaotic pattern of all colors across the spectrum. "Using this, all you need to do is say my name and speak into it. And it will relay the message back to me immediately. If ever you need help, don't hesitate to call."

Guts took the proffered jewel and gave the Slider one of his few genuine smiles. "Is this the part where you go all sappy and proclaim eternal friendship?"

Shirou rolled his eyes. "No this is the part where I call you an ass and say goodbye." Shirou took hold of the enormous man's hand and deposited the gem into it.

Shirou pulled OS up from the ground, and dug his hand into his pocket, retrieving ten of the jewels Flora had filled for him. "Well…moment of truth." Muttered the Slider before emptying the contents of the ten jewels into his sword. The action causing the projected gems to fade away from existence.

Shirou swung OS, causing a multicolored rent in the space in front of it. He then enveloped Signum's hand in his own, and stepped forward. The swordswoman gave them one last wave before stepping forward herself.

The multicolored gate closed, and the two were gone.

"Bugah!" Screamed Caska as she began to run in a random direction, Farneze close behind, wailing her name, Serpico gently shaking his head and following his lady.

"Crazy couple." Muttered Isidro. "Still…too bad I didn't get to peep on her, did you _see_the size of that rack? Doubt I'll ever be close to titties that glorious ever again!" Bemoaned the kid, before he was hit on the forehead with a wooden staff.

"E-Enemy of women!" Shrieked Scherke before chasing Isidro, brandishing her staff like the righteous weapon of justice it was, not at all seeking to punish him for his declaration that she was just jealous her breasts were small.

Guts stared at the jewel for a long moment before sighing. "Crazy fool." He said before letting the jewel fall from his hand to the ground.

"Wait, aren't you gonna keep that?" Asked Puck as Guts began to walk away.

"He has his own shit to deal with." Said the Black Swordsman without turning around. "No sense piling our own troubles onto him."

Puck hovered uncertainly over the place the gem was dropped, before zooming back to the Black Swordsman.

On that day, they finally reached the sea.

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And so we are brought to the end of the Berserk Arc. It was a wild ride, but now I can move back to making a snippet or two at most per verse, as plot permits.

Hoped you guys enjoyed the wild ride as much as I did. :3

And so, the story can move on with this experience safely in the past!

Or...is it?

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Hooves crunched on the dry ground. A man in resplendent silver plate sat atop a beautiful horse.

He was tall, strong of body and slender of frame. Hair that resembled waves of sliver fell in a cascade from his head, framing delicate features that were both handsome and effeminate.

'Beautiful' was a word that would fall far, far short of describing him. The word 'Majestic' could well have been conceived in a vain attempt to explain him. Yet no words could ever truly hope to encompass his presence.

He was far from the place he was supposed to be. At the command tent, directing the war effort. At the camp, bringing closure to those who lost friends or family. He should be at a castle, a meeting, a crowning.

Yet, he could feel something. Something in this lonely hill. Something special.

This place, this middle of nowhere worthless place, held something he wanted.

A small glint caught his eye, he inspected closer. Then, tilting his head in a manner not unlike a bird, he dismounted from his steed in order to investigate it.

Out of the ground he dug a gem. White in hue, yet encompassing all colors of the spectrum.

The man stared at the stone for a long, long time.

Only a lunatic would call the expression on his stunning face a smile.


	22. Damaged Bonds

Aight guys, Santo is return and he has a snippet for ya.

This one was penned by "One Piece of Infinity." a bit of a twisting of canon, because what happened below could not happen in canon, but hey, that's what fanfiction is for right?

Be warned, it is deliciously angsty and might make you need some chocolate to feel better.

On another note...I noticed last chapter that a significant number of the usual reviewers...didn't...

Ssssso! If you can't think up of a name for the separate arcs and don't want to ruin your chance to name them, then don't be afraid to drop a review anyways and PM the name you come up with at a later date. ^_^

With that said.

Grab a Kleenex.

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_She drifted, as ever, in that limbo between sleep and consciousness. How long had she been waiting? Would that boy still be searching for her tirelessly? Or had their love faded over time, until he had simply given up?_  
_  
She turned, unwilling to let those thoughts linger. Who was she kidding? Shirou wasn't the type of person to ever give up on a dream. He would follow that dream all the way to its end, never doubting, always believing it would come true at the end of all things. He was just so infuriatingly and lovably stubborn that way. _  
_  
Even so, she wanted to see him soon_  
_  
"Shirou…"_

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Shirou threw himself desperately to the side, splashing into the giant pool of sea water which covered the tile floor of the prison. As he did so, a metal giant flew past him, its shoulder slamming into the distant wall with a large crash which momentarily caused the floor to shake. Leaping to his feet, Shirou sent a few slashes of energy towards the Big Daddy, mindful of the little girl clinging desperately to the metal golem's bank. "Unzip him Mister B, Unzip him‼" the girl screeched in a strange voice which mixed the little's girl's voice with that of a monster; her glowing yellow eyes flashing in hatred at him, as if he was trying to kill her rather than rescue her from the hellhole they were in.

Shirou quickly ran through the metal door, his footsteps echoing into the hollow glass tunnel, the view outside reminding him that he was in fact in a city at the bottom of the ocean. Behind him, he heard the crashing footsteps of the Big Daddy chasing after him and its bestial roar, enraged by his impudence in endangering its charge. Suddenly, Shirou noticed a large explosion blast out from the back of Persephone, the prison he was running towards, as well as the loud reverberations along the oceanic tunnel he was in. He slowed down slightly, though not enough for the Big Daddy to catch him, screaming at OS, "We need to go now!"

"Alright alright, Geez you're so picky nowadays boss," the glowing sword clenched in his hand complained, completely ignoring the wall of water rushing towards the duo as a result of the tunnel collapsing, "You used to be so nice as a kid, but now it's OS do this, OS do that. Manners go a long way you know."

"OS!" Shirou screamed, now running in the opposite direction, completely sudden from the spray, following the Big Daddy as it too ran back the way it came from, so as to save its vulnerable charge, completely forgetting about its prey in the process.

"Yeah, yeah, we finished charging a few minutes ago, though we could have finished earlier if you didn't insist on using the Alpha Series template," OS continued, still heedless to the danger, or pretending not to care to annoy Shirou. Which it did. With a grunt of frustration, Shirou slashed open a portal, taking one last mournful look at the unsaved Little Sister, before diving through. As the portal closed, the wall of water smashed through his former location, before slamming against the metal bulkhead which had closed just as the Big Daddy had passed through.

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Shirou lay on the hard concrete floor of the shed, his breath heaving as he recovered from the latest near death situation. OS lay abandoned on the floor near him, dropped as the boy tumbled through the portal; a fact that the great OS really did not appreciate, "Kid…if you don't pick me up right now I swear I'll, I'll, I'll do something to troll you."  
Shirou snorted, "Like you don't always OS," he groaned as he complied with the sword's wishes, knowing that incurring its wrath could lead to extraordinarily embarrassing and annoying situations. Like that time it decided to vanish his clothes and send him to a world full of sex-starved women. Shirou shuddered, still remembering his lucky escape before he was ravaged in ways that were best not spoken of.

Swaying slightly with each step, Shirou slowly exited the shed and walked across the lawn to the Japanese style house before him. He had stumbled across the universe Zelretch had taken him from completely by accident, hurled through the dimensions when OS had been massively damaged by a recent escapade. After realising where he was, he had bought the Emiya residence, or as it was known in the many, many other universes around; and recuperated there, eventually turning it into a sort-of base, more a storehouse as he was never really there, only visiting if he found something really interesting which wouldn't really fit in his pockets without damaging them.

"Christ, OS, I really could use a break right now. Just lie about and relax for a bit. That Rapture world really beat the hell out of me," Shirou moaned, managing to enter the house after several tries, "Especially those Big Sisters. I swear they were stalking me. Damn this bar that all the mes out there have," he commented, fist shaking slightly in the air.

"I don't know, boss, you didn't really hate that bar thingy whenever you were getting it on with all those girls throughout the multiverse. Oh I remember how loud you guys were sometimes, especially –" OS remarked, his tone snide and mocking.

"Shut up OS," Shirou muttered, resigned that it wouldn't work anyway.

"She liked it so much she kept coming back-" OS rambled.

Eventually Shirou made it to his room, having blocked out OS' voice. True to his word, he lay down on a set up futon and began to sleep, snoring slightly.  
OS sat on the floor next to Shirou's hand (not that it could do otherwise, didn't have wings like Ruby and Sapphire), and mused to itself. It was true that Shirou had been having it extremely rough the past few months, with each universe somehow worse than the next. The boy was long overdue for a bit of a break. Suddenly, the Kaleidosword realized the perfect place for that. It slowly gathered its magic, and created a portal beneath the two.

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Shirou was in heaven. Man, it really was great to be able to lie around on a comfortable surface, and not have to worry about monsters trying to eat/rape you in your sleep. He shifted slightly, the grass tickling his face as he did so. The overhead Sun was making it impossible to slee- wait. Shirou shot to his feet, groping around for OS, ready to face anything. Eyes adjusting to the sun, he stared in confusion at his surroundings.

He was standing in a field of grass, the lush green landscape stretching out as far as the eye could see. There were no signs of civilization anywhere. Turning around, he was faced with a thick forest, its foliage completely impenetrable. He shivered slightly. He couldn't imagine a worse fate than being lost within those woods, struggling desperately to break free of its crushing depths and finally reach the utopia behind him. Sensing no danger, Shirou relaxed, and tentatively began wandering out into the vast field before him, sheathing OS as he went.

"Wow," he breathed, "This place is amazing. How did you find this place OS?" He glanced down towards the strangely silent sword, before returning to his previous task. In such a glorious place, silent swords were the least of his worries. He felt completely at peace for the first time in years, though curiously, he felt a slight sense of déjà vu, though he was certain he himself had never-

"Oh no you didn't OS," he gasped, recognizing the place from one of his templates. Suddenly, he heard a sudden gasp behind him. He stiffened in place, knowing full well exactly who would be standing behind.

"Shirou…" He turned around, his face involuntarily smiling as he and many templates resonating within him recognized the voice, still clear after years of separation. A young girl stood there, dressed in what appeared to be a white night gown, so different from the regal blue dress she usually preferred. Her hair floated around her, the golden strands having been freed from their tight braid. A large grin was present on her face, and her whole body seemed to radiate happiness. Shirou's heart tightened at the sight of her, an Arturia who had been freed from the shackles of duty.

Suddenly, she flew forward and enveloped him in a hug, her strong arms reaching behind his back with slight difficulty due to his increased size. Her face was shoved into his chest, and he could hear her faintly sobbing. Caught up in the emotion, he returned the hug, his fondness for her rising up within him, even though he had technically never met her before. He marveled slightly at her lack of inhibitions, her ability to show her emotions as she had never before. He had never encountered this side of her before, and he felt himself slowly lose himself within their embrace, enjoying every moment of their reunion…

No. His eyes opened, and with a heavy heart, he slowly pushed the girl away. "Shirou…"She breathed, her eyes wide open in shock. Grimacing, Shirou looked away, unable to face her with knowledge of what he was doing.  
"I'm sorry Arturia…the thing is…" he couldn't finish. How could he do this to her? If there was anyone deserving of a happy ending, it was this girl, Arturia, who had locked away her humanity in order to save her nation, never having a chance for a normal life, to be happy. A tear traced its way down his face. "I'm…not the Shirou you've been waiting for," he intoned, each word a struggle to finish.  
He glanced up. There was now confusion mixed in with the shock, "What do you mean?" she said, her small voice sending him into further despair. "I'm not from this universe Saber. The Shirou you met and even now is waiting for isn't me. I'm not the one you love"

He caught her quickly, the revelation having proved too much for the girl. "I knew it might happen, but I always hoped you'd still-" she babbled, her mind evidently far away at the moment. Shirou shook her profusely, causing her to look at him in shock.

The intense sadness and feeling of betrayal in those green eyes almost proved too much for Shirou, but he persisted. "I am not the Shirou you met and fell in love with. My name is Shirou Kaleido. I am a dimensional traveller, saved from the Fourth Grail War by Old Zelretch. We have technically never met before, but sometimes, I emulate the experiences of all the Shirous out there. That's why I acted so happy when I saw you," he said firmly, trying to ease her heartache before it destroyed her. He could see in her eyes however, that she wasn't completely convinced.

"Is there any point to this, Shirou? The Shirou of this universe will probably be like you anyway, completely changed, not someone I recognise." she stated dully, the spark in her eyes fading slightly.

"NO! It won't be like that Saber. Shirou will always love you. I know this because I've seen it. No matter how long it takes, you two will meet again, and he will be the same as he always had been. Even now somewhere out there, Emiya Shirou is still searching for you," he stated in his firmest voice, trying to sound positive and sincere, "Just wait a little longer. This was a false start, but I know you'll get the ending you deserve."

Shirou lowered her to the ground, "I…have to go now…" He backed away slowly, eyes now locked onto Arturia's teary green eyes. Each step felt like he was ripping himself in two, yet he knew it was ultimately the right choice, even if it ultimately broke both their hearts. He didn't deserve this paradise, the love of this girl; the Emiya Shirou who had earned that right was the one who truly should be here. To comfort her further would further her torment. The Shirou of this world deserved a whole Saber, not one forever scarred by this. Shirou grabbed OS and ripped open another portal. His vision was clouded with tears now, mirrored by Arturia. "I'm sorry…for everything," he sobbed, stepping through even as she ran towards him, hands outstretched.

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OS flew through the air and thudded against the wall, tearing right through the wood and into the next room, "OW WHAT THE HELL SHIROU! I'M NEVER SENDING YOU TO A NICE PLACE AGAIN!" the sword whined.

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!" the boy bellowed, slamming the door behind him as he left the house, his emotions in a complete whirl.

Silently, the sword complied with his wishes. It wasn't quite sure what it had done wrong. Hadn't it sent him to a completely safe place, a paradise even, with a loving girl to fawn over him?

It continued to mull over it even as it heard the loud scream of anguish from the courtyard.

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_She stirred once more, her eyes flicking open to reveal that never-changing blue sky above her. "Is it another imposter?" she wondered aloud. Time had passed by once more, and she had re-entered that long sleep, not quite knowing what would happen the next time she woke up._  
_  
She stood up slowly, in no hurry this time. She was used to disappointment before, why was it any different now? The trick was to not expect anything. She walked over to the edge of the forest, and saw a tall, lean figure, his hair white as snow. At the sound of her footsteps, the figure turned. She smiled only slightly, trying not to get her hopes up this time._  
_  
"I'm…I'm Home Saber," Shirou said softly, his eyes filling with joy at the sight of her, his dark face lifting until he resembled that boy she had loved so long ago. Her heart lifted. This had to be him. A dazzling grin appeared on her face, and her hand clasped over her heart, which was beating rapidly in his presence._  
_  
"Welcome home Shirou." _


	23. Homecoming

*sigh* I dislike FFN for not allowing me to do my hilarious emoticons. =,=

See I had this really long emoticon planned out that was absolutely _perfect_ for the occasion. And I can't do it because FFN wont allow me to. -,-

Anyways!

This is the next snippet in the main continuity, do please Review...and I'll probably end up naming the continuities something sometime.

Later.

...

Right.

Anyways!

Strategic Snippet Bomb! (」゜ロ゜)」

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Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg stood in a park, staring at a somewhat crowded street. "Well…looks like the jump was successful." He said to his pink haired companion.

Signum Yagami took a deep breath, the action causing her prominent bust to strain against the fabric of her shirt, this in turn made the slider to avert his gaze before Bad Things crossed his mind. "It feels good to be home." Said Signum with a smile.

It would be difficult to succinctly describe the knight's mindset at that particular point in time.

Immeasurable relief at having avoided the sad fate of being stranded on a world not her own.

Joy at the thought of seeing her family again.

Great anticipation at the prospect of taking a proper bath for the first time in two weeks. The bath at Flora's home, while lavish, fell fall short of the luxury Signum had been spoiled with.

But most of all, an enormous trepidation at the notion of explaining where she had been the last two weeks. Signum then glanced at the Slider, remembering that it was not her hand alone that crafted the great mess the situation had become.

Almost as if he had read her thoughts, the Slider spoke. "Well…itwasniceknowingyouIgottagob y-urk!" Said the Slider as he took off in a random direction, only for Signum's arm to move with the swiftness of a striking viper and capture his collar.

Signum smirked. "You are not getting off that easy. You'll have to explain things to Hayate."

"B-But I need to go buy spices! I haven't been able to cook a good meal in two weeks! TWO WEEKS SIGNUM!" Lamented the Slider as Signum dragged him by the collar.

"You can do that after." Said the knight calmly.

"I'll be dead after! I don't wanna!"

"Wow boss, I never would have thought you'd be so afraid of meeting a girl." Quipped OS, poking his blade out of the scabbard in Shirou's belt.

"OF COURSE I AM YOU IDIOT! SHE TRIED TO MELT MY FACE OFF!"

"You don't have to yell at me!" Whined OS with all the hurt of a betrayed puppy.

"Settle down you two. It was mostly your fault anyways." Stated Signum, not lessening her iron grip on the Slider's coat.

"Alright alright alright!" Said Shirou irritably. "I can walk by myself!"

Signum remained quiet for a few moments before addressing the Slider. "You promise you won't try to run off?"

"Promise." Said Shirou in a bored voice.

"Very well." Answered Signum as she released the Slider. Only for him to take off in a dead sprint.

He made it all of two steps before a steel grip once more took hold of his collar with a jerk and dragged him away kicking and screaming, pleading for mercy as he was manhandled by a woman he outweighed by at least forty pounds.

Not a one of the three noticed the numerous stares their antics drew.

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"I'm sorry ma'am but I can't allow you to pass." Repeated the rather annoyed clerk in his slightly annoying nasal tone. It would seem that the sniffles were going around at this time of year in Mid Childa.

"I demand to know why my access has been revoked." Ground out Signum between clenched teeth.

"B-But ma'am I show no re-"

"I am Captain Signum Yagami of the TSAB Air Force, and I will not be kept from my lord and duties!" Continued Signum, cutting off the clerk before he could give an explanation.

"Y-Yagami?" Asked the dumbfounded clerk with wide eyes. "I ahh…I mean…please give me a few moments ma'am." Said the clerk nervously, he then picked up a phone and started a call.

Signum turned back from him in exasperation and walked back to the Slider, sitting on the sofa beside him with an exasperated huff. "Impossible to find good help nowadays." Grumbled the knight.

Shirou for his own part looked pensive, the look on his face said that there was something terribly wrong, and he was unsure of how to inform her of this. "Signum…are you _sure_ I have to be around for the reunion? I myself would love to be a continent away just in case. I'll even come back once you get her to calm down, promise!"

"Considering what happened the last time you promised me something, I am not inclined to believe you." Deadpanned Signum without paying the Slider much attention.

"Would it help if we made that a super duper ultra promise?" Asked OS from Shirou's hip.

"No."

"Are you _sure_? Cause that's a promise that contains 'super' 'duper' _and_ 'ultra'. Just think about how sacred such a promise is!"

"No."

"Would it help if I said please?" Asked the Slider.

"No."

"Chocolates?" Asked OS.

"No."

Shirou looked at her long and hard, then accessed some of the memories of the Prism-Trace he'd locked away. "If you let us go right now I will make an enormous strawberry cake, all of it for you." Said Shirou in a grave voice filled with iron-hard conviction.

Signum tensed. _How did he know!?_

Before she could truly begin to doubt herself, she saw Hayate arrive out of the corner of her eye. Nanoha and Fate in step close behind her master.

"_Merde."_ Said Shirou eloquently.

Signum failed to hear him, as she stood and gave Hayate a beaming smile. "Hayate I'm ho-"

"What are you doing here?" Interrupted Hayate hotly.

"H-Hayate?"

"As you should well know, you are _not_ part of the TSAB nor are you welcome in _my_ jurisdiction!" Continued the woman, not giving Signum a chance to speak. "And _where_ do you get off using _my_ name!?"

Signum backed away holding her arms in a placating gesture. "H-Hayate what?"

"Signum? I thought you were going to go shopping with Shamal." Said a deep soprano behind her.

Signum Yagami froze. She knew that voice, a voice that should not be. It was as wrong as Hayate not being happy to see her.

Signum turned slowly, her eyes widening the moment they confirmed the absolute impossibility.

Reinforce Eins stood in front of her. Her crimson gaze becoming worried when she noticed the agonized look on Signum's face. Reinforce stepped forward and placed her warm palm on Signum's cheek. "Signum, are you unwell?"

Signum could not be more confused at the moment. Hayate, her beloved master, rather than joyous at seeing her safe and sound, seemed to be disgusted by her mere presence. Yet, the apparition before her was much more unlikely. Thus, with her mind in a state of chaos, Signum made the only query she could. "R-Rein?"

Reinforce tilted her head, not unlike a bird. "Yes what is it?"

Signum chocked, she could not force a single word past her restricted airway.

Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg stared long and hard at the proceedings.

"Boss?"

"Yes OS?"

"Did you remember to carry the decimal?"

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Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg and Signum Yagami were in very uncomfortable company.

Mainly that of Shirou Emiya and Signum Ritter.

"Ssssoooo." Said Shirou Schweinorg. "You…you sort of…"

"Erm…yeah." Answered Shirou Emiya.

"Ahh…I see." Finished Shirou Schweinorg.

The two Signum's remained far more composed. The two of them picked up their tea at the exact same time and took a controlled sip of the exact same depth.

"Hrmm…Gotta say…you're sorta the first alternate I've met that happened to. My…condolences?" Said Shirou Schweinorg as he scratched his right cheek.

"Well…" Answered Shirou Emiya, rubbing the back of his head. "I myself never really thought I would meet me again, especially under such strange circumstances."

"You got that right." Answered Shirou Schweinorg. "So…mind if we impose on you for roughly 24 hours so we can make another ho-"

The Slider was interrupted by the pitter patter of combat boots and the door being noisily thrown open. "OhmygodIgottaseethiscan'tberealsoawesome!" Said Vita as she barged in and plopped down beside Shirou Emiya, staring at Shirou Schweinorg and the two Signums with sparkly eyes.

Both of the Shirous sighed. "Vita, take off your shoes before you come in." They said in perfect unison, stopping a moment after and staring at one another awkwardly before looking away.

"Oh my god it's true." Said Vita reverently. "There really _are_ two Shirous! And here I thought Rein was finally developing a sense of humor."

"Hey! Be more respectful!" Said both Signums immediately, before making a choked sound and once more regarding their tea with a steely gaze.

"BWAHAHAHAHA! Best! Day! EVER!" Said Vita as she began rolling on the floor, no longer able to suppress the laughter that wracked her small frame.

"I am so glad to see you so concerned over this strange situation." Deadpaned Shirou Schweinorg.

"Well…" Said Shirou Emiya as he stood awkwardly. "I'll…bring us some snacks?" He said as he began to walk away, only to be halted as a steel grip took hold of his wrist, when he looked back to see what had caught him he shivered in fear. "Eh? What?"

Shirou Schweinorg had clamped down on his wrist with a grip of iron. "Your kitchen, allow me to use it."

The silence in the room was deafening.

Until Vita broke out into the loudest guffaws yet.

"B-But my kitchen…"

"_I've been unable to cook a decent meal in two weeks. __**Lend me your kitchen."**_

"…Yeah…yeah go ahead."

Zafira looked at the proceedings from the corner of the room. "Not touching that…not touching it with a ten foot pole."

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"Shirou." Said Vita slowly, her eyes widening as she rolled the food around her tongue slowly.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Said both Shirous at the same time, no longer bothering to feel awkward about their synchronicity.

Vita proceeded to ignore their admonitions. "Shirou you gotta get the recipe from you! This is delicious!"

Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg did what could only be described as preening under the statement made by the excitable knight.

Shirou had commandeered his alternate's kitchen completely, stating that in thanks for allowing them to stay for the night, he insisted on cooking dinner for them. Shirou Emiya's protests that it was his job as a host were quickly silenced. In honor of the Wolkenritter (and knowing from the memories of the Trace that this alternate of his was not the best at Western foods) Shirou Schweinorg decided to cook German.

The main dish was Choucroute garnie, a meal that included several meats with diced cabbage on the side. Bratkartoffeln, a fried potato dish with diced bacon and onions, seasoned to perfection. For Zafira (and the less squeamish present) he made Mettbrötchen, a sandwich made with raw meat on breadrolls and onion rings. And a large helping of homemade potato salad.

All of the effort he had put into crafting the dinner was being repaid in full as his hosts enjoyed it.

Shirou Emiya grumbled something about cheating people with transdimensional magics.

Shirou Schweinorg looked around the table, feeling a strange camaraderie with those present. Zafira as he bit into the meat with wild abandon brought a smile to his face. Signum eating as composed as ever. Shamal carefully tasting each new dish. Vita eating almost as wildly as Zafira. Reinforce who fidgeted under Signum Yagami's gaze, neither of them having done more than pick at their foo-

Wait…what?

Signum Yagami would steal a glance every couple of seconds at the crimson eyed Reinforce. Ever since the Master Program had arrived home, having finished whatever work she had at the TSAB research facility, Signum Yagami had been unable to contain herself from simply looking at the smiling Reinforce. Reinforce for her own part, noticed this fact and did not know how to react, simply fidgeting awkwardly under the scrutiny.

Vita, of course failed, to notice this. "Rein what's up?" Said Vita with a grin that would make a Cheshire cat green with envy. "You've been eating so much lately it's weird to see you not touch your food. Women with your condition need to eat more and all of that." Her exclamation caused the quiet girl's cheeks to redden.

"Vita!" Said Shirou Emiya. "You know it's not like that!"

"But the way she reacts every time I say it makes it so fun to poke fun at~" Answered Vita shamelessly.

"Vita you should not tease her like that!" Said both Signums, drawing themselves to their full sitting height to loom over the small knight.

"Urk!" Exclaimed Vita with wide eyes. "Double the boob demon. This is so unfair." Muttered the redhead petulantly.

Both of the Signums planted their faces on their palms.

"E-Excuse me. Signu…I-I mean, Miss Yagami?" Said Reinforce hesitantly, drawing the attention of everyone at the dinner table. "I-I have noticed that you keep looking toward me. Is there something you'd like to say to me? I…apologize if I offended you earlier when I confused you with my own Signum."

Signum Yagami stared long and hard at Reinforce before dropping her eyes in shame. "I…am sorry…it's just that I could not help it…my own Reinforce…is not with us anymore."

The silence around the table was heavy until Reinforce broke it once more. "Ahh…forgive me, it was not my wish to remind you of bad memories."

"N-No, it's my fault. To tell you the truth it is rather strange. Almost as if you were my Reinforce, yet not at the same time." Said Signum Yagami slowly, trailing a finger over the edge of her cup in a strangely feminine gesture as she sought to order her thoughts.

The quiet stretched out again. Nobody knew how to get conversation started again, so Shirou Schweinorg took it upon himself to make a wild swing in the dark. "So…erm…me. What do you guys do for the TSAB?"

Silence reigned supreme.

"Wow boss…how is it that you keep finding landmines to step on?" Quipped OS from his belt.

Shirou Schweinorg was about to tell his partner to shut up, when Shirou Emiya took one of Reinforce's hands into his own and squeezed it gently. "We…We are working under the TSAB to keep a promise we made to someone…very special to us."

Vita sneered. "You should have seen Taiga's face when she found out that the four of us were moving out of the house. From her expression it looked like she'd seen a ghost."

"Taiga?" Signum Yagami hesitantly repeated the name Vita had used. "I'm not familiar with a Taiga in my world. Does she live in Uminari?"

This time it was Vita who looked dumbfounded at the confused Signum, before sighing as she shook her head. "Right, I forgot. Different master, different hometown."

"And... you spoke of the four of you moving to Mid-Childa... aren't there five of you including your master?"

"I'm just dropping by after Shamal called me." Zafira explained. "I'm still living on Earth in our home..."

At Signum's look of utter astonishment Shirou Emiya decided to cut into the conversation. "Zafira still has some responsibilities there, and there are some personal interests that we want to keep track of. Also, it ensures that we have a home outside of the TSAB's reach if things ever went south."

"You... you speak of the TSAB as if you are an outsider." Signum Yagami concluded with a slight hint of fear in her voice. "Aren't you all members of the TSAB yourselves?"

"We are currently working together with the TSAB because we are in need of their resources and their technology to achieve our goals." Reinforce spoke softly. "In exchange for their support they gain data on the creation of unison devises and other techniques that have been lost ever since the fall of Al-Hazard and Ancient Belka. For now we both benefit from that arrangement but..."

"Well, not even six months ago some of them were certain that I was going to end up destroying Earth and accused me of murders that I didn't even know of, so one could say that we had a rather rough start." Said Shirou Emiya with a pained smile.

"Six Months!?" Said Signum Yagami somewhat shrilly. "How is that even possible!? You should have been dead years ago without proper-"

"That's classified, sorry." Interrupted Shirou Emiya with an apologetic tone. "Anything that's connected to the Fuyuki incident is in a need to know basis."

"Perhaps," Spoke Zafira a little louder than necessary, "We should shift the subject to something less dangerous". When the other people at the table nodded in agreement he diverted his attention back to his food.

"Alright, I've been keeping this one inside for a long time but right now I might as well let it out before things get any more awkward." Stated Vita with a surprisingly serious face. "Zaffie-"

"For the last time stop calling me Zaffie!" Growled the Guardian Beast past a mouthful of meat.

"Right, right. I'm just wondering. It's only You and Taiga living in our house-turned-loveshack." Asked Vita solemnly, causing Signum Yagami to choke and for dead silence to reign around the table.

That is until OS started laughing uproariously. "Oh Kaleidoscope! Little lady you are golden!" The only indication that Vita had heard the compliment was a slight upwards twitch of her lips.

"Please don't call it like that" Shirou Emiya muttered.

Vita laughed a little nervously while rubbing the back of her head, the very natural gesture catching the attention of Signum Yagami, that was not a thing she remembered Vita ever doing. "I know, but...I really need to know if I can still sleep in my own room without finding things like stray hairs or something... I mean, how you live your love life is your business but please tell me you keep it confined to your own bedroom. I mean, a kitchen is for cooking right?"

"And there goes my appetite..." Signum Ritter muttered, dropping her utensils unto her plate with a clatter as Zafira seemed to choke on his food.

"You know Vita, sometimes I think it's a miracle that Shirou turned out to be such a polite young man with you around." Shamal sighed as she rubbed the wolfman's back, trying to help him recover.

"Well, Zafira probably did a good job raising him then." Said Vita with a smirk. "You know, those skills will come in handy again really soon right?"

Zafira did not answer, instead simply taking another, smaller, bite of his food.

"Geez you people are no fun today ." Muttered Vita.

Signum Yagami simply listened as she watched these strangers. They all looked the same as her own comrades, but their characters were slightly different. In her world Hayate had been like a motherly figure to them, and they had slipped into that pattern. But in this world it seemed that this Shirou Emiya had not taken such a proactive role, instead letting his knights develop into this strange family.

It was such a bizarre concept for her that it kept her from relaxing, instead focusing on the only woman who acted like her own memories portrayed her.

The Reinforce of this world was perhaps the only person she could really feel at home with. Reinforce noticed Signum's stare and fidgeted a little.

Signum Ritter sighed and spoke. "Look, it seems to me that my other me is getting horribly confused by all of this. Reinforce, do you mind taking her for a walk? I take it she has some things she wants to discuss with you."

The two women stared at the pink haired knight. "What?" She said. "You would not believe how unnerving it is to see my own face twisted in such indecision." She stated with a huff.

"Thank you Signum, I think that is a good idea." Answered Reinforce with a quiet smile before turning to Signum Yagami. "Signu... Erm…Ms. Yagami, won't you join me for a walk?" Reinforce asked with a somewhat nervous smile.

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Shirou Schweinorg watched the two women walking out of the room, his familiar Signum walking behind the master program with an uncharacteristically hesitant step. The moment they were out of sight he hissed, clutched his head with his hands.

"Hey are you alright?" Asked Shirou Emiya, extending a hand toward the slider, before shaking his head as he himself hissed in pain.

The slider backed away, making room between them until they both recovered somewhat. "Sorry chief." He said with a pained grimace. "Time's up. I've been doing what I can to suppress the feedback caused by alternates being in close proximity to one another, but I'm at my limit. If we remain in the same room we'll both have to deal with these migraines."

Signum Ritter blinked. "Wait…then…why haven't I and the other Signum felt something?"

Shirou Schweinorg smiled. "Cause I've been taking your share." With that he turned and headed to the door. "I would suggest keeping at least two rooms between you and your alternate, at least till I've had a few hours to rest."

"Schweinorg, thanks." Shirou Emiya muttered, while nodding at his Signum. It took the slider a moment, but then he smiled.

Shirou Schweinorg nodded. "I thought you'd appreciate it." With a last pained smile he left the room. Moments later Shirou Emiya sat down with a quiet groan.

"Shirou you sacrificial idiot." Shamal stated with an exasperated huff.

Her Master simply smiled.

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Shirou Schweinorg sat on the roof staring at the night sky, trying to form patterns in the stars was a particular hobby of his when he couldn't sleep.

Without removing his eyes from the skies, Shirou absently pulled the black blade of a combat knife down the length of a whetstone in long, slow strokes, the 'whisk, whisk, whisk' of the blade being worked on his only companion.

His hands shook causing him to pause in his movements, trembles ran through his arms and he had to concentrate to keep his breathing even.

"Boss?" Said OS in his place propped beside the Slider. "Hey Boss, you alright? You're not looking too good from here."

As Shirou opened his mouth to answer, footsteps were heard coming up the ladder he used to get to the roof. He quickly sheathed the knife and put away the whetstone. His hands began to shake the moment they were no longer gripping the items, and he intertwined his fingers and tightened them, stilling the trembles his arms were afflicted with.

A head of pink hair poked over the edge of the roof a moment later, followed soon after by a pair of brilliant sapphire eyes.

"Hey Signum what brings you up here?" Asked Shirou with a sarcastic tone and a knowing grin.

"Ohh?" Exclaimed Signum with a cold look. "How do you know I'm not Signum Ritter?"

The Slider's smirk widened. "Signum Ritter would feel pretty awkward around me, what with being her Master but not."

"You could at least have acted a little surprised you know?" Said Signum as she finished pulling herself to the roof and sat down beside the slider.

"One of the best things about the Kaleidoscope is that you get to act bratty and all knowing." Answered Shirou.

With that, the two of them fell silent and stared up at the night sky. A few minutes later, Signum hugged her legs to her chest in an oddly demure manner and spoke. "It's... so strange. Everyone I think of as my family is here, but they all act so different. The Wolkenritter here are so much the same, yet…different. And Hayate... I know that the Hayate here is not my Hayate. But, the way she spoke to me...It...It is painful. And I..." She trailed off as words failed her.

Shirou could not help but find the sight to be rather... jarring. The woman next to him, throughout their short time together, had always been a warrior. A soldier. A knight. Not even in his second hand memories could he recall her ever being so vulnerable.

It was honestly a disturbing sight. And one which hurt to see. Not because it was so strange. No, it was because the fault for her state lay with him. If he'd taken her home, then she wouldn't be suffering this bizarre form of torture.

To meet someone who is both the person you know and love, and yet not...To have been so coldly treated when one was expecting a warm embrace. For Signum it must be a horrible feeling.

Swallowing the bitter draught which was his guilt, Shirou tried to think of anything he could do to comfort her, but the only thing he _could_ do would be to get her home. So he instead attempted to give voice to the feelings which gave the knight such trouble. "And you can't help but wonder if you've done something wrong." Said the Slider quietly. "You _know_ that when next you see her, she will be overjoyed at your safe return, but you can't help but wonder if you will receive the same treatment. If the anger you saw in her eyes here, will be staring out of her eyes there."

Signum remained quiet for a long moment. "Yes." She said.

"Not that this will help." Said Shirou as he pulled his coat closed to ward off the chill wind. "But I can tell you that she will be very happy to see you, because she will be _your_ Hayate. So you have nothing to worry about."

Signum thought for a few moments, and then grunted out a laugh. "You're right, it doesn't help."

The two of them chuckled quietly for a few moments before quieting again.

"So." Said Shirou. "What did you and Rein talk about?"

"Are you sure you should refer to her so familiarly?" Asked Signum as she hugged herself a little tighter and trembled a little thanks to the cold. That is, until Shirou's heavy trench coat was draped over her shoulders, almost seeming to swallow her.

"Probably not." Admitted the Slider as he sat back down. "But…memory feedback. A good amount of this Shirou's memories were downloaded into my head when his Trace took over. I know they are not my memories, but I can't conceive of being formal with any of the people living here. Thus are the perils of the Kaleidoscope." Shirou ended his short speech with a shrug and hugged himself a little tightly, after a few moments he spoke again. "You know, you didn't answer my question."

"You're right, I didn't." Answered Signum with a tone of finality.

They fell quiet once more and Shirou began to once more count the stars. Loud knocking coming from the other side of the house broke them free of their deliberations. They looked to each other, and decided to ignore it.

That is, until they heard the door opening and Hayate's voice reached them. Causing them to scuttle to the edge and peek down.

Shirou Emiya was speaking to Hayate Yagami.

"Admiral Yagami, a pleasure to see you." Said Shirou Emiya in a completely neutral tone.

"Emiya." Answered Hayate. "I've pulled a few strings like you asked. This…incident…will be swept under the rug."

Shirou Emiya nodded. "You assistance is much appreciated, Admiral."

Hayate smirked and stepped closer to the redhead, moving forward until the redhead's back was pushed against the closed door. "My _assistance_ does not come cheap, Emiya. You owe me, _big _time. Are we clear?"

Shirou Emiya audibly swallowed. "Crystal, Admiral."

"Very good." With that Hayate turned her back on the redhead and walked away.

Even though she was protected from the chill of the night by a large, warm coat, Signum Yagami shuddered at the sight.

"Hayate... thanks."

Shirou's voice was surprisingly warm, and Signum watched as Hayate stopped. The admiral looked around her, seemly looking for bystanders before walking back towards the boy.

"Listen up Emiya, I…_we_ can't have any more of these stunts. I need you to have a clean sheet to present to the board in three months. I want them to think you can be controlled. I want them to think that they can use you and your knights trough you. And most of all...I want them to think that they can use you trough _me..."_

"I know Hayate..."

"Because if Carim's prediction comes true I'm going to need every scrap of power you have and preferably without a leash around your neck. So please... don't make my job any more difficult than it already is."

"I know Hayate. Just don't forget to take care of yourself as well." Shirou Emiya smiled. For a moment a small smile slipped on Hayate Yagami's face, before her stone cold expression slipped back unto her face.

"Don't make me come back here for a long time Emiya. I don't want to see your face for the next few weeks."

"Understood Admiral."

Signum watched as Hayate disappeared, the strange woman with her Master's name and face still sending shivers down her spine.

But, in that moment, she had smiled just like her own master did.

At that moment, all that Signum Yagami wanted was to go home.


	24. Holy Demon Swords!

This ickle drabble was penned by one droldemra as an apology to a shameful display.

It is awesome and I hope he continues it.

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It was a calm day in the forest areas near the City of Housman. It was a sunny bright day filled with-

"Get back here and face me!"

...the screams of an enraged female as she swung her weapon towards a familiar pair, one Kaleido Shirou Schweinorg and his ever present companion OS.

"But Shirou!" whined OS, "Look at that form! Those curves! That voice! She's the ideal package!"

"OS," Shirou panted out as he sidestepped to avoid the blade of wind that came from the woman's sword, "Shut up or else you'll make the situation worse!"

Now, one may think that our duo of dimension travelers were talking about the same woman who is attempting to tear them a new one. Eyes and hair of red, a fair heart shaped face, wearing some sort of leotard with a breastplate -which more looks like a shiny form fitting sports bra showing her rather busty form- covering it, a ballock knife at her hip and wielding an estoc in their general direction.

Now fellow readers, let's go back an hour or two shall we?

-

Shirou stretched his arms up in the air as he walked along the medieval streets, glad to be away from that last place with the...he silently cursed as he thought he had completely erased ever going there as he didn't want to remember the horrors OS sent him to. Once again trying to mentally repress the memories, he looked around at the hustle and bustle of the merchants hawking their wares, glad that OS had decided that he needed a break from all his travels and just be a tourist for once.

Just as he finished that train of thought did he collide into somebody.

"Oof!"  
"Ah!"

_Okay,_ Shirou thought as he shifted his body so that he would be positioned to become the cushion,_ make that two people and feminine voices at that. This...won't end well._

He grunted in pain as the first impact was fairly heavy, but the second one wasn't too bad. To make the feeling of dread worse however, the instant before he couldn't see anything else, what he saw was a face full of what looked to be fetish armor (if he had to make any kind of guess and not because he was interested in that sort of thing, no no no) .

_What the hell is that piece made out of? Metal is not supposed to stretch and bounce like that!_

A moment later the weight was slightly lifted as the one on top apparently got off of him, but the other didn't appear to move other than to stir, which led to him wondering if that person hit her head on something hard enough to stun into inaction.

"Cecily?" a rather flirty feminine voice said near them, "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay Aria," this came from the person on top of him, "Nothing broken or anything."

"Well if you are, then I guess you're just trying to get a lover without too much trouble then."

A few seconds later all he heard was a confused 'Huh?' as it sounded like what was being said didn't register yet. A few seconds later was a scream of embarrassment and his vision was seeing clear blue skies once again. Sighing, Shirou began to stand up and brush off the dirt off his clothes. Taking a quick glance, he saw the two that he bumped into. The first was a brown haired woman in green exotic dancer like clothing, while the other...looked like one of those cosplay soldiers that he saw on the cover of Waver's games.

His luck had to get him to encounter possibly the only two cosplaying women to possibly get him in trouble.

"I'm so sorry," Said the cosplay soldier, who he mentally labeled as Cecily from the voice, "Are you okay?"

"I should be the one apologizing," Shirou said, still dusting off his clothing, "I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going."

At that point OS decided to speak.

"Wow boss," the sword chimed out as it slightly popped out of its scabbard, "I know that you must really want to get rid of those awful memories, but damn you are quick to find some hot ones to do so!"

"Shut it OS."

At this point, Shirou resigned to his fate as Cecily and the dancer-

he mentally crossed that out and rewrote that as Aria.

-and Aria stared at the sword at his hip. When he was about to explain about OS, Cecily apparently reached out for what looked like a ballock knife and tensing as if she was about to get into a fight. Aria however was still staring as she gave a puzzled, yet curious look at OS.

"Cecily," Stated Aria, "I don't sense it as a demon sword."

Shirou gave out a sigh of relief when he saw Cecily beginning to relax, apparently OS took offense.

"Oi! how dare you call me a demon sword! I have never been insulted in all my life and-"

At that, Shirou promptly shoved OS back into its scabbard to quickly shut him up.

"Calm down OS and let them explain."

At this statement, the two women present looked at each other took it as a prompt and Cecily began to explain.

"Well one of the reasons I became wary of you two is because we had a lot of people trying to steal Aria, who is a demonic sword."

"Lady," OS interrupted as he managed to once again pop out of its scabbard, "If that fine piece of woman is a sword, then I am a cabbage."

There was a synchronized nose pinch between Shirou and Cecily as Aria gave the three a sexy pose coupled with a wink and blown a kiss for good measure.

"You are a flatterer, but I really am a sword." Aria stated as it was an undeniable fact. "I can transform if you don't believe me."

"HA! Go ahead lady, show me what you got!"

Before either Shirou or Cecily could even comment, A glint of mischief appeared in Aria's eye as she stepped to the side and began to chant.

**"Shake off your slumber.**

Seize upon the truth.

Take the wind in hand...

...and kill God"

With that, in a explosion of smoke did Aria the woman became Aria, the demon sword.

"Impressive."

To Shirou, what he first saw was an Estoc, finely crafted and well maintained. To OS however...

"Marry me."

...Fell in love.

"OS?"

"Shirou, she's beautiful! We have to cross swords with her, please! I want my hilt to connect with hers to be as one!"

"OS, calm down here..."

"Calm down he says, calm down! That sword is now the love of my life! She's a sword, I'm a sword, we both know how swords think! She can become a person so that means she should know how to treat a sword right! Don't deny me this!"

"My sword became a horny teenager. Now I know I'm damned."

"Oh don't be like that boss! Even I feel the need to having a star crossed lover! Hey, think we can pay the cosplaying girl for my new love of my life?"

At this, the hairs on the back of Shirou's neck stiffened as he felt the female glare of fury at hitting his local direction. Taking a quick glance back to Cecily, he swallowed as he saw the sudden rage filling her face as it was directed at him, no at OS from the way her eyes lowered down from his face to his still talking sword. All thought of her being some kind of cosplayer was instantly erased as the fire in her eyes burned even hotter, showing the warrior within her.

"Um, OS..."

"...No wait! you seduce the rehead! That way you can bang her while I get to clang my Aria!"

Without pulling her gaze away, Cecily's hand reached out for Aria and prepared her fighting stance. At this Shirou began to tense his legs as he prepared to leap away in an instance of violence.

"OS, Shut up please..."

"Oh come on boss, it's like I can get a chance for love and you get a lover in one shot! What can go wrong?"

Even with all his preparation, Shirou had barely dodged it from leaping to the side as he saw a blade of wind cut through the earth in his direction.

"ENOUGH!" Cecily shouted in rage, "How dare your perverted sword think that I would sell my friend away for anything! That is an insult I cannot stand! Draw your sword so that I may punish it!"

At this, Shirou took a risk by staring at OS and only said three words to him.

"Damn it, OS."


	25. Cat Days 3

AAAAAAND I pull out Cat Days 3~

I actually had this one finished a while back, but held back from posting it so that I'd get reviews for the one snippet with the Sacred Blacksmith.

I'm sneaky like that. ^c^

Anyways, I marathoned a few episodes of Dog Days, and had the urge to write some Cat Days.

So I wrote some Cat Days.

'Ere ya go. (*・_・)ノ⌒*

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"Heh. About time I get to put you in your place human." Said Gaul with a ferocious smirk.

"Ohhh Boss! He called you a human! Are you just going to take that from that little pipsqueak!" Said OS as he rattled about in his sheath, spoiling for a fight.

"Don't call me pipsqueak!"

"Shaddap pipsqueak! Grown men are talking here!"

"You are a sword!"

"It's a man's dream to sink his sword into soft pliant flesh!"

Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg sighed and pushed OS more firmly into his scabbard to shut him up, Shirou had been right, ever since he woke up OS had had a field day. "Guys guys…I just got use of my eye back yesterday, can't we call this one off for a day or two?"

"No!" Answered Gaul immediately. "I've been waiting far too long for this! I am going to put you in your place for being such a pain!"

Shirou tilted his head. "And what place is this?"

Gaul blinked. "Erm…well you know…your place."

"And this place is?"

Gaul stood there staring at the Slider for a few moments before speaking. "Shaddap and fight me!"

"Kid, let's not and say we did." Said Shirou tiredly.

"Don't call me kid!" Screamed Gaul petulantly.

"Man, let's not and say we did." Repeated Shirou in the same tone.

"Don't talk to me so familiarly!" Yelled the crown prince with his ears standing straight in a show of aggression.

"Cat, let's not and say we did." Repeated the Slider with a greater edge of fatigue in his voice.

"ARRGH! Dammit are you a man or a chicken!?" Demanded Gaul pointing at the Slider.

Shirou stared at the agitated prince for a few moments before answering. "Buok."

Gaul gave a growl much more akin to what a dog would make.

OS managed to pop out of his scabbard again. "C'mon boss! Let's put the brat in his place!"

"Not helping OS." Said Shirou in the same tired tone.

"GRRR! FIGHT ME!" Demanded Gaul again, pulling out his clawed gauntlets.

"No." Answered Shirou as he turned around and began to walk away, to the disappointment of the Genoise and the relief of the cleaning staff.

Gaul stared openmouthed at the retreating figure, completely unbelieving that _that human_ would back down from a challenge."Y-Y-Yeah! You better run away coward!" Screamed the crown prince a few moments later.

"Yeah yeah, coward whatever." Answered Shirou as he scratched the left side of his head absentmindedly. Fixing that eye had caused an annoying itch that he had to figure out a way to get rid of. Maybe that balm he got from that old lady?

"Yeah that's right! Go back to my sister you manwhore!" Yelled Gaul with a huff.

Shirou stopped.

The Genoise, the cleaning staff, the maids, Gaul, and everyone in a fifty meter radius felt their skin break out into gooseflesh as the ice-cold hand of fear took a hold of their spine.

"Ooohh crap. Kid! Hey Kid! Snap out of it and run away!" Screamed OS with a genuine tone of panic in his voice.

The warning caused Gaul to snap out of the trance that had transfixed everyone present. "W-What?" Unfortunately, while his body was more than ready to begin running away, his mind had yet to reboot.

"Dammit kid! Don't waste any time _run!_ You don't want to be near Boss when he gets like this!" Yelled OS.

"W-What i-is he f-f-finally going t-to f-fight me?" Said Gaul in an attempt to put on a brave face.

"Oh Kaleidoscope! Don't try to be tough kid! Run awa-hmpfb!" OS' warning was interrupted when he was forcefully shoved into his scabbard.

Shirou turned around slowly, the eyes of everyone in the hall glued to his every movement. They desired to run away at top speed yet they remained frozen to the spot like terrified hares. Their animalistic instinct warned them; to move was folly, to move would cause the slaughter to begin. If they remained still, one would be lost while the rest could run away.

Shirou finished turning around, his eyes boring into Gaul with the intensity of a blade, causing the young man to start. Then a beaming smile broke on his face. "What did you just call me?" Asked Shirou in a jovial tone that caused a shiver to run up the spine of the crown prince.

"I-I-I c-c-called y-y." Stuttered Gaul before stopping himself, he took a deep breath to fortify his nerves before roaring out into a belligerent challenge. "I called you a manwhore!" Unfortunately for the pride of the Galettan prince, his voice broke and so his declaration was made in a high pitched somewhat fearful squeal.

Shirou's smile, impossible as it should be, widened. "Well…as the challenged party that means I get to pick the terrain doesn't it?" He asked so quietly everyone present had to strain their sensitive ears in order to hear him.

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They stood in the woods of a thick forest, the sunlight was magnificently reflected from the lush green leaves of the trees and grass. As a terrain prepared for skirmishes and wars, it held great protection that would not allow a native of the world to come to any harm. It would be a peaceful scene if it weren't because of the still smiling Shirou.

Gaul had had more than enough time to regain his nerve. He was the crown prince of Galette! He could not afford to be intimidated by the likes of _that human! _"So human, when do we start?"

Shirou's smile brightened even more. The Genoise, cleaning staff, and other servants all shuddered even though they were more than a safe distance away and watching it from a screen. "Prism Trace: Fallen Protector. Downloading memory, understanding basic growth, expanding history, comprehending organic skills, orchestrating expertise, empathizing personality, synchronizing…Engage!" With a Kaleidoscopic flash of light, Shirou's clothes changed.

He was dressed entirely in black and dark grey, clothing that would blend in perfectly with the shadows. His shoulders covered by a near weightless dark gray hooded cloak, its tail blowing against his black clad legs. Soft black leather boots encased his feet. The lower half of Shirou's face hidden by a black silk mask. Strapped against his chest was a large smoothbore pistol, beside it were two belts each of which held five wicked metal darts. On his hips were two quivers, each holding ten arrows, sheathed at his right hip was a long sturdy straightsword, while a pair of one-handed hafts could be seen peeking over his shoulders. Strapped to his back was a metal contraption Gaul could not readily identify, yet he could not shake a feeling of familiarity that emanated from it.

"Right now." The two words were the only warning Shirou gave before he threw a pair of darts at Gaul's eyes. The Crown Prince started and threw himself to the floor, allowing the darts to sail over him.

When he returned his golden eyes to the place his opponent had been, he was nowhere to be found.

"Dammit where did you go! Fight me like a man!" Screamed Gaul as he brandished his weapons.

A black metal arrow with a serrated head sailed past his head, so close that it cut a lock of his hair and its tail kissed the tip of one of his sensitive ears, before imbedding itself halfway through a thick tree trunk.

"Wha!?" Said Gaul intelligently as he tried to suppress a shudder. The only response to his unvoiced query was a quiet chuckle that seemed to reverberate around him.

Gaul growled and called upon his power emblem. Blue-green lighting jumped in chaotic patters from his fingers as he readied his attack. "Calling upon the thunder I-!"

A second black arrow struck his right arm guard and caused his arm to smack into his stomach with enough force to knock the breath out of him. Gaul grit his teeth and fired the bolt in the overall direction that the shaft had come from. A powerful explosion could be heard a few moments later. Even though he had not finished charging it, the excellent pedigree of the house of Galette de Rois showed itself true.

"HA!" Screamed Gaul in triumph. "How did you like that _human_!?"

"I found it." Said Shirou's voice to his right. "Insufficiently impressive."

Gaul wiped around so fast his neck got whiplash and just in time to see his opponent. Shirou blended surprisingly well with the shadows cast by the trees, in his hands was the metal contraption Gaul had caught a glimpse of.

And that's when he realized why he had felt such a sense of familiarity with the weapon. It was a bow, a bow unlike any ever conceived by the mind of man. Rather, any bow which could have even the barest chance of functioning properly by the known laws of the world. Yet here it was, its grip held strong before its arms split in twain. At first glance, one would think it to be two wholly separate bows held parallel like some manner of mockery against the practice of archery. But it existed as one. Each of the four arms holding a string of some strange fabric which came together at a perfectly calculated intersection. It was an ominous shape, like the open claw of a monster. And the arrow drawn along the crossed bowstrings hummed, eager to fly and carrying far more power than any could have imagined.

The fingers released, allowing the serrated headed metal shaft to soar towards him. Now that he was no longer flatfooted, Gaul contemptuously stepped aside and allowed the powerful projectile to soar past him like so much trash, before sending a bolt of lightning toward his opponent as a riposte.

The half hearted attack was evaded as easily as Gaul had done for the arrow that had been fired at him.

"Is that all you got?" Asked Gaul contemptuously. "Is that all you can do? Skulk in the shadows like a thief and fight like a coward?"

The only response Shirou gave was the drawing of his fourth arrow, this one from the opposite quiver. He once more pulled back the string, such was its tensile strength that even through the distance that separated them, Gaul could hear the creak of the unnatural bow as it was put under stress.

Gaul sighed and took a defensive stance. He would show _that human_ how useless that bow would be now that he was ready for it.

Were Gaul to hold the tactics used by Shirou up until that point in just a little less contempt, he might have realized that something was up. Had he used his keen eyes a little better, he might have realized exactly what was strange about the projectile that even now sung for his blood.

The shaft was released. The blunt headed arrow sailed toward its target swiftly yet lacking the grace of its previous three sisters.

Gaul swiped his claws at it and broke it in two.

And that's when it became obvious what exactly his opponent had planned.

The arrow was nothing more than a delivery system. What it delivered was a primitive warhead. A container filled with volatile liquid taken from large creatures that resided deep within the oceans. The oil was everything the temper of those creatures was not. And treated as it had been, ignited into a furious white glare as soon as it met air.

The incandescent oil then landed all over Gaul, covering him from head to foot and eliciting a cry of pain from the young Crown Prince. For though the protection of the land would keep him from harm, not even it could keep the pain of the incandescent flames away.

Gaul grit his teeth, his scream changed, transforming itself from a scream of pain to a roar of rage as he called upon his emblem. The signet took form behind the crown prince surrounding him with a corona of incandescent energy that blazed higher and higher, coursing arcs of electricity bleeding off into the ground and trees. The fires of the oil guttered out, consumed by the wrath of Gaul Galette des Rois.

He then kicked off the ground and soared to his opponent, screaming his rage for all to hear as he closed the great distance between them in a moment's span.

"**Explosion!" **Screamed as he made his attack, causing a blast of tremendous power, its shockwave powerful enough to fell nearby trees, the furious roar it emitted so intense that it was heard by people in the city walls.

The forest was covered in an enormous cloud of dust. Gaul was panting, his clothing torn in places from the furious wind stream of his attack.

He then felt something cold, hard, and circular pressed against the back of his head. "You know." Said the voice of Shirou. "I would think that it is a bad move to cut down on your visibility when your opponent has shown a tendency to hide."

Gaul growled low in his throat and turned around, swiping a claw through the place he suspected his opponent to be. Only for that claw to meet empty air.

The barrel of the pistol was once more pushed against the back of his head. "I mean honestly. You _know_ I've been hiding and firing from cover. Why would you hand me such a tremendous advantage?"

With a scream of rage, Gaul turned around and brought another blast of lighting down directly behind him, cratering the ground and increasing the dust floating in the air.

His opponent's amused chuckles reverberated in the air around him.

"STOP TOYING WITH ME!" Demanded Gaul as he brought down a veritable monsoon of lighting all around him.

The barrel of the pistol was pressed against one of the armored plates on his hips. Then the trigger was pulled. The loud thunderclap nearly deafened him as the powerful impact cracked the durable plate and drove the air from his lungs at the same time that it knocked him to his rear.

"I'll take you seriously when you prove you deserve it, pipsqueak." Said his opponent with a contempt filled voice.

Gaul stood back up and called upon his crest again. Then he fed it all of his power. When that ran out he fed it everything he had. His anger, his frustrations, his rage, everything was thrown into the crest to increase its power, the roar of wind around him drowning out his scream of incandescent fury.

The powerful winds quickly vanished the cloud of dust, allowing the nigh-unbearable light of the crest of Galette to destroy all of the shadows of the forest.

And so Gaul was given a perfect view of the black boot as it descended from above and smacked against his face. The rest of the body soon followed and the greater body mass of his opponent drove him to the floor.

He then felt something cold, sharp, and hard pressed against his neck. He opened his eyes and saw the edge of a short black scimitar threatening his collar.

They remained like that for a few moments until Shirou spoke, pressing the blade to the boy's neck a little more tightly. "Pathetic."

Gaul however, smiled. "You got cocky." Stated the white haired prince as he pressed both palms against his opponent's chest. His hands emitting a bright blue-green glow as the energy they commanded prepared itself to be explosively released.

And then a small black boot hit the two of them on the temple, sending Shirou sprawling to the floor and causing Gaul to roll a couple of times on the ground.

They both turned to look at their assailant, and were met with a sight that drove fear into both of their hearts.

Leonmitchelli Galette des Rois stood in front of them, her beautiful waist long hair writhing around her as her body was surrounded by an aura of flame, a mere side effect caused by the anger of a royal among lions.

Her flashing golden eyes focused upon Gaul with such intensity that the young man suddenly wished that the ground would open beneath him and swallow him whole. "H-H-H-Hi sis?" Asked Gaul with a stutter.

"Gaul." Said Leon in a calm and reasonable voice, causing Gaul to hiss in fear and press himself harder against the ground. "What. Are you doing. To our guest?"

"W-W-W-Well I t-t-thought I-I w-would e-enjoy a f-f-friendly s-spar with-" Stuttered the young man in fear. His stutter becoming an outright panicked screech as his sister picked him up by the collar.

"I-I'm sorry!?" Screamed the young man reflexively.

Leon's right eyebrow twitched. "And how does the fact you are sorry change the fact that I had to waste forty minutes to get here?"

"I-I-It d-d-d-doesn't?" Asked Gaul with fear in his voice.

Leon nodded. "Indeed it doesn't. Do you know what this means?"

"T-T-T-That I'm v-v-v-very sorry?" Asked Gaul hopefully.

Leon smiled, causing him to whimper.

"You will do my work for me for the next two weeks. You will have no way around this, nor any choice in the matter." Stated Leon with finality.

Gaul opened his mouth to protest. Then saw the glint on his sister's eye. "Y-Yes ma'am." He muttered instead.

Leon let go of his collar, causing him to drop to the floor in a confused heap. She then looked around for her target and realized something.

Shirou had taken advantage of her distraction to melt into the shadows.

Leon's other eyebrow twitched. "Shirou, come out now." She demanded.

The forest remained quiet and empty.

Then her personal emblem took form behind her along with an enormous curtain of flame.

"Oh god no sis don't!" Screamed Gaul as he tried to scamper away.

Leon raised her arms, a tornado of fire howling into being on her hands. The whole of her body was surrounded by a luminescent corona of flame, and she then roared the verdict of an Avenging Angel. "Explosion. **Of the Lion King!**"

The blast dwarfed everything Gaul had done, the fury of the incandescent flames transformed every tree it touched to a pile of ash in but an instant, the shockwave extending a great distance and splintering even the most ancient of trees like mere twigs, the merest fraction of its fury broke against the city walls, knocking a few hapless guards off their feet.

A completely naked Gaul lied on the floor twitching, knocked cold by the powerful attack. Leon completely ignored her tormented little brother and stared around, her keen eyes seeking her quarry.

When she spied something quite a distance away, she walked to it at a hurried pace. It was a black gauntleted hand, the leather armored glove modified to leave the fingers free. It was poking out of a pile of trees that had been splintered by the shockwave of her attack. She pressed her foot against the topmost trunk (which was thicker than all of her) and kicked it off without much effort. Where she found Shirou, much in the same state as her brother barring the nakedness even though his clothing _had_ taken severe damage.

She picked him up by the collar and began to walk back to the city of Galette, complaining all the while about idiot men and their stupid fights and how they encroached on her petting time.

The Genoise, cleaning staff, and other servants all blinked. Yet not even in their confusion did they say anything.

Perhaps because truly, there was nothing that _could_ be said about what they had just seen. As one they all turned from the viewing screen and got back to work.

Charley Framboise blinked and realized he had forgotten to commentate on the fight. He was the one to break the silence. "W-Well I guess that means the duel is a draw?" He asked slowly.

He was not given an answer. A few moments later he followed the crowd back, the fate of the Galettan prince driven from his thoughts.

Back in the field, a cloak was draped over Gaul's prone and recuperating form. He blinked and looked at the one that draped the cloth over him.

The rather sad Nanami met his inquiring gaze. She knelt in front of him and stared at his dirt covered form.

"Hey Gaul." She said softly. "Can…I pet you?"

"NO!"

Nanami wept.


	26. Dimensional Memories

This snippet brought to you by One Piece of Infinity! 8D

This has become one of my personal favorites because reasons.

Words honesty fail me as I try to describe it. Suffice it to say, I very much doubt I could have done better myself. This one is just masterful like that.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Shirou tumbled backwards, bleeding heavily from a heavy gash across his chest, his grip loosening on the smooth blue hilt of Caliburn as he did so. The sword clanged onto the ground, before disappearing in a cloud of golden dust, his clothes doing the same, the Swordmaster trace disappearing before his eyes; leaving him desperately clutching the giant slash in his coat, trying to prevent the blood from leaking out. His head was slightly faint, as Shirou stared defiantly at the animated armor looming above him, a strange fusion of brown decaying flesh and purple armor, the abomination's grotesque right arm clutching onto a sword with similar features, the giant eye on the blade staring right into his soul.

"GIVE ME YOUR SOUL!" Knightmare howled, somehow enunciating the words despite its apparent lack of mouth. It raised the sword high up into the air, the sword seeming to radiate bloodlust as it did so, before bringing its giant weight against the small crystal sword Shirou had raised in desperation. Grunting desperately, Shirou was barely able to stop the grotesque blade from carving him in two, straining his already fatigued arms as he did so. Unknown to both, the crystal sword was unable to take the strain, and cracked slightly along its length, a faint aura covering the crack.

The two stood at a deadlock for a moment, before Knightmare lifted the sword once more, giving Shirou time to scramble away, putting some distance between him and the Azure Knight.

"OS, are you ready?" he asked urgently, eyes still on the shifting form of the animated armor.

"What the hell, Shirou. Look at me! You freaking put a crack in me!" the sword shrieked shrilly. As Shirou moved to yell at the weapon, the aura around the crack intensified, before expanding to cover the young man.

All coherent thought left Shirou in a rush, replaced only by the onslaught of images which battered his mind. He fell to the ground, his hands wrapping around his head in a death-grip as he tried to stall the flow with brute force, all the while screaming incoherently. The Azure Knight paused for a second at this sudden change, before pressing forward, eager to absorb yet another soul into its sword.

"BOSS, BOSS!" the Kaleidosword yelled, trying his best to snap the slider out of it before he met a gory death. As the sword glanced at the approaching enemy, it quickly opened a portal underneath the slider with its depleting mana, which was being drained out of the crack in its shell. OS wasn't quite sure whether the location was safe, but it was far too late to worry as the pair fell through the darkness into a new world.

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Sora leaned against the bent Paopu tree, hands reaching behind his head as he stared at the setting sun with a smile. With the threat of Organisation XIII gone, there was no danger, no rushing into the unknown; he could finally afford to just take a few moments, enjoy the company of his returned friends, bask in life. Yet, for some strange reason, Sora suddenly found his eyes brimming with tears, his good mood instantly replaced with a heavy feeling sadness.

As he wiped the tears from his eyes, his silver-haired friend, Riku, suddenly jumped over the Paopu tree, landing gracefully in the sand. Instantly, the muscled teenager noticed the tears, frowning at the sight.

"Hey, what's wrong Sora?" Riku asked, concerned.

"I don't know," Sora replied, the tears streaming from his eyes now, "It's like somewhere out there, someone I know is hurting really badly."

Even as he said this, the pair's attention was brought to a blue comet which fell from the sky, smashing into the emotion with a huge splash, the resultant waves causing the nearby boats to bob up and down. Sora found himself leaping off the small island into the ocean, followed closely by Riku. Swimming quickly, the two found a slim red headed teenager, held up barely by a glowing crystal sword.

"It's Shirou!"

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Where am I?

Shirou found himself sinking headfirst into a dark void, somehow trailing bubbles as he fell like a comet towards…where? He struggled slightly, trying to alter the trajectory of his fall, but in vain. With a sigh, he let himself fall, mentally preparing himself for anything when he finally reached the bottom.

After an immeasurable amount of time, Shirou finally felt himself twist, his boots impacting softly onto a hard surface, the bubbles somehow turning into white doves which streaked away into the dark, their glowing white forms quickly becoming lost to him. He was some sort of glass platform, which was stained with many pictures from his past. Staring up and down, he noted down the pictures of the fire, a picture of OS, his Old Man Zelretch, even the faces of several of his friends from across the multiverse, none of whom he was likely to ever meet again. He breathed out, his heart rate slowing down, relaxing as his senses told him that he wasn't in imminent danger of being stabbed, sliced, bifurcated, electrocuted, burnt, eaten, acidified, sucked into a cyclone, blasted by magic by angry magical girls, exploded, raped by tentacle monsters, mawled to death or glomped by an excited fangirl.

Suddenly, he sensed a presence behind him. He whirled around, instantly tensing into a martial art ready position, coming face-to-face with a silver haired man. Shirou leapt away, putting distance between the two as quickly as he could, his mind already whirring into action as he thought of attacks and counter attacks to the man's possible movements. He glared at the man. He was blindingly familiar, a tall man of Japanese descent, white haired somehow slicked back into massive spikes, his skin burned unnaturally dark. The man's grey eyes shown with steel and contempt, as he glared back at the slider, expression darkening.

"Archer!" Shirou gasped, mind finally placing the man from among the memories of the Shirous out there, "What the hell are you doing here? Actually, where the hell did you bring me!"

Archer snorted. "Archer, huh? Fitting I guess. As for where we are, this-" he gestured with his arms, "is what's left of your mind. When your sword cracked, a flood of information gleamed from the multiverse was dumped straight into your brain, which for obvious reasons couldn't take the strain. So it automatically secluded itself from the world completely, shutting down all but the most basic of processes. And so here we are."

"If that's the case, why are you in my mind?" Shirou asked cautiously, eyes searching left and right for some type of weapon, the pockets of his trench coat proving to be empty. Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed into his mind.  
_  
"Let's go play Daddy!" the small girl said brightly as he lifted her out of the vent with a gentleness which belied his vast armoured structure. Grunting slightly, Lambda placed the yellow eyed girl onto the ground, trundling slowly behind her as she tugged on his hands, leading him towards the nearest body. He took a weary glance at their surroundings as he went, only noting down any hungry stares from splicers hiding in the corners, the glares from the richer occupants sliding right off him. He returned his gaze back to his little sister, the only thing which mattered to him, only to catch a glimpse of her skirt vanishing behind a corner._  
_  
Lambda quickened his pace, aware that splicers could prey on her if he didn't keep up. He ducked into an alleyway, and was relieved to find the silver-haired girl alone, stabbing her needle into the corpse, before sucking on the nipple at the top, coating her mouth with blood. She giggled, before turning back towards her guardian, smiling brightly._  
_  
Suddenly, Lambda was smashed from behind by a huge weight, and was hurled over the girl into the end of the alleyway, where he was trapped against the wall. He could hear the gloating laughter of the splicers as they circled the girl, intent on getting to the ADAM, seemingly thriving off her squeals for her daddy. Rage enveloped his mind, and before he knew it, he had shoved the pylon off him telekinetically, facing the group with a bestial roar, his drill primed. He charged through the first two splicers, drilling right into one and slamming his palm into the other. _  
_Suddenly, he was tackled into the wall by a behemoth, the splicer's muscles enhanced to a grotesque degree. The ape rammed Lambda again and again into the wall. Glancing over its shoulder, he saw a splicer pick the silver-haired girl up, his remaining two compatriots laughing with anticipation. Desperately, the Alpha Series pushed for its very last pockets of strength, the only thing on its mind its desperation to save his little sister; his memories of her sweet smile, happy red eyes, and her general snow angel appearance pushing him forward. He had to get to her, so she could be like that again. _  
_  
Blades pushed themselves out of his flesh, penetrating through his armor and skewering the Brute with ease. Pushing the carcass of him, the Alpha roared and telekinetically sent giant steel frames towards the men, a wall of steel which skewered them with ease. However, it was pointless in the end. Lambda howled in grief as he collapsed onto the ground, his giant hands scooping up the girl's, no, Illya's body tenderly, tracing the hole in her stomach. Without the ADAM slug inside, she didn't have long to live. He sat on the ground, and gently rocked the girl as she gasped her final breaths, trying to comfort her in her last moments, all the while fighting off the mind-numbing grief and rage which threatened to consume him._

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"Still nothing, huh?"

Sora shook his head, maintaining his silent vigil at the slider's bed. Kairi, who had just entered, gently placed her arm around his shoulders.

"It's not your fault. There was nothing you could have done to help any more than you've already done," she said gently, knowing full well the reason her friend had stayed at Shirou's side.

"All that time I spent in the other worlds, and I never even thought of trying to find Shirou. You remember don't you? He was completely alone until he arrived here and we became his friends. Fat lot of good we were," Sora said bitterly, his usual upbeat attitude gone. With a shake of her head, Kairi stood, brushed a strand of red hair from the slider's face, before walking out of the room.

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Shirou retched onto the glass surface of the platform, body still aching from the phantom pains from the vision. "What the hell was that?" he asked weakly.

"A memory. Surely you remember your Alpha Series trace? That was a memory floating around in your brain, finally brought to the light," Archer said, a grim smirk present on his face.

"I've seen into the mind of the Alpha before, but I've definitely never seen that one before. Don't lie to me!" Shirou snapped, emotions still haywire from his experience. Archer's smirk somehow grew bigger, the bastard was definitely enjoying himself.

"Oh you've definitely seen it before, I can guarantee it. But, like all memories of especially traumatic events, you decided to repress it, selfishly erasing it from your conscious memory so you can continue on your great adventures unhindered," he said, his smirk now replaced by an expression which could only be described as hatred, his steely gaze boring into the soft gold of Shirou's eyes.

"You asked me before who I was. It's obvious isn't it? With your disjointed upbringing, frankly traumatic childhood, your crazy life which constantly throws you into near death experiences; I was the only thing which could allow your mind to deal with it. Doctors would diagnose me as a product of bipolar syndrome, a second personality floating around inside your brain. However, that's not really the correct description is it? No, I would rather call myself a sacrifice, a being created so you can shove all your painful memories and those of your traces into me; just so you can continue obliviously into the unknown at the urging of that sword OS," Archer ranted, spitting out OS' name like a filthy curse, grey eyes blazing with anger. Suddenly, he smirked and pointed directly at Shirou.

"But, with this time I refuse to continue with this farce. I refuse to hold back the flood of memories, those miserable memories. It's time for you to finally face the music, to understand the true horror of your life. And if we both die in the process, well, I'll consider my life worthwhile!" Archer lunged forward, his finger smashing into Shirou's forehead, causing the young slider to convulse, a web of white energy spreading across his skin, the glass platform beneath the two shattering, causing the two to plunge down into the dark depths of Shirou's mind.

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"Say Sora, what do you reckon is wrong with him?" Riku asked, his face solemn as he examined the comatose man on the bed. Shirou had been that way for the past week, the constant movement of his chest and twitching beneath his eyelids the only indication that there was still life in the body. Sora had only seen a similar case with Kairi when her heart had been separated from her body.

"It definitely isn't too much exposure to the darkness, he'd have turned into a heartless by now," Riku continued, "Whatever happened must have something to do with the crack in OS. But what could it be? We can't ask OS either, he appears to have shut down to fix the damage-"

Riku was interrupted by Sora's yelp of shock. Whirling around, he found Shirou convulsing heavily in his bed, froth foaming out of his mouth as he bucked and shuddered. Sora and Riku quickly pounced onto him, trying desperately to keep his body still so he didn't hurt himself.

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_  
He was so tired. The corpses of Orcs were piled around him like grotesque versions of the walls of Minas Tirith, and yet the foul things continued to pour out of the shattered gates, each one snarling ferociously at him, brandishing crude weapons, each one ready to give him a horrible death. Behind him, he could hear his fellow soldiers ushering the civilians towards the next level, trusting in Shirou to hold the fort, his new found magic having boosted their morale. But, even though he was lauded as a stamina freak in training, he was reaching his limit now. His heavy leather armour weighed him down, and he could barely lift the battered shield he had appropriated from a corpse._  
_  
Hearing the harsh cries come towards him, he ripped off his acquired helmet, and with a war-cry leapt towards the Orcs with the same ferocity, his yellow eyes gleaming like a hawk as he slashed and hacked through the mindless throng, his movements sharp and methodical, a killing machine. Smashing his heavy shield into the face of one Orc, he spun and lopped off its head, in the same movement tearing a heavy gash into another orc. However, as he tried to pull it out, a giant mallet aimed towards his arm forced Shirou to release his sword, leaving him without a weapon._  
_  
Shirou's golden eyes glowed for a second, and the weapons of the fallen orcs were slamming down from the heavens into the flesh of his enemies, each one emitting a horrible shriek as they clutched at the weapons embedded in some part of them. Unslinging his bow, Shirou sent arrows flying into the stragglers, each hitting the target with the precision drilled into all Rangers._  
_Suddenly, he heard a high pitched shriek, and was overcome by an unnatural terror, sinking to the ground with his hands clutching at his ears, his bow dropping to the ground. Glancing up, he was encountered by a Nazgul walking towards him, its dragon-like steed growling at him from the other side of the corpses. This Nazgul seemed different in that it wore a strange spiky armour, its helmet covering its hood and providing the semblance of a face. In one hand was a giant chain, in the other a longsword. _  
_  
With a gasp, Shirou charged up, telekinetically summoning his bow to him. He nocked an arrow and fired towards the mouth of the hood, only to be stopped by the Nazgul's sword. Suddenly, he felt a huge weight smash into his left arm, the force completely breaking the bone and most of his ribs. With a wheezing gasp, Shirou flew to the ground, defeated. The urge to close his eyes, escape the pain, was so tempting now, but he could not stop until all the civilians had successfully retreated to the next level of Minas Tirith. His eyes glowed as he summoned his last bit of strength, causing all the weapons littered around the battlefield to rise up into the air, before falling down like rain towards his enemy, who was slightly startled by this last act of defiance. With a piercing screech, it defended itself with its sword, deflecting as many swords as it could. However, the sheer number of swords finally overcame its defences, causing it to be skewered. It laughed weakly however, and said, "Fool. No man can kill the Witch King," before disappearing, probably back to Mordor in order to heal. _  
_  
Shirou was almost lost to everything now. His whole body was numb, his brain could barely function, but he strained his ears to listen for that – there. The final clang as the door to the upper levels closed. The civilians were safe. With a sigh, his eyes finally closed._

How many times had he seen this? These memories of pain and misery. These incarnations of himself who sacrificed themselves over and over again. He wasn't sure, he had lost count ages ago, always disrupted by the raw emotion and pain he felt with each memory. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. He was just floating, lost amongst the darkness, haunted by these memories from throughout the multiverse.  
**  
"How does it feel to live a day in my life, Shirou Schweinorg?"**

That's right. His name was Shirou wasn't it? Shirou Schweinorg, plucked out of the Fuyuki Fire by Zelretch Schweinorg and raised to be his successor. A slider, always with his sword OS, dashing through the universe, helping everyone he could –  
_  
"Shirou! We can't interfere with this!" OS pleaded. Shirou shook his head, and continued running towards Aerith, seeing what the others couldn't. A long-haired man, falling through the air quickly, his absurdly long katana poised to stab through the girl. He had_ _to save her. As he smashed past Cloud, he tried to push the girl out of the way, but instead was sucked into a portal which opened up in front of him. Though he tried to go back, he could only watch as Aerith, the kindly flower girl, was skewered mercilessly by Sephiroth, to the shock of all her friends at the stairs. With a yell of grief, Shirou tumbled further into the portal, towards the next world OS had sent them._

-But wasn't always successful. He wasn't sure why he did what he did, always trying to help. It wasn't the memory of Kiritsugu, he never had that-  
_  
"I wanted to be a hero when I was young," Kiritsugu said softly, still staring at the distant moon with a relaxed gaze, his face gaunt._

His templates, that had to be the reason. Even if they weren't his memories, indirectly or not, he was always guided by their memories wasn't he? Always-  
_  
Shirou looked at her long and hard, then accessed some of the memories of the Prism-Trace he'd locked away. "If you let us go right now I will make an enormous strawberry cake, all of it for you." Said Shirou in a grave voice filled with iron-hard conviction._

What did that make him then?  
**  
Nothing more than a faker, clutching desperately at straws to continue his stupid existence.**

That's right, he couldn't really count as a real person could he? All versions of Shirou had that in common. His whole personality was placed in question. Did he really possess a sense of justice? Or was that the remnants of Emiya Shirou both past and present which existed within him? Did he truly enjoy the thrill of cooking, the rush of adrenaline as he ventured into the unknown? Or was that just some variant of Shirou influencing him, imposing their own joy onto his own mind? He couldn't be sure anymore.

Had he ever made any friends throughout the Multiverse? No, not really. He had stalkers and enemies, but otherwise was always alone.

Was it really worth it to continue?  
**  
No. Your whole existence is painful for everyone. The hardships you suffer, pointless. You have nothing. A father who couldn't care less about you. A sword which throws you into increasingly dangerous situations. People who help you on your journey out of self-interest. Your possessions have no meaning, for you do not truly appreciate them, collecting them for novelty. A slider has no sense of possession after all. You are merely an empty shell, acting out the will of your others. Such a life…it would be better to end it all.**

Better to end it all…

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"RIKU, GO GET HELP!" Sora screamed, having successfully tied Shirou down, a gag in his mouth to stop the slider from biting down on his tongue. With a quick nod, the silver haired Keyblade wielder rushed off, leaping out of the window and gliding to the mainland.

Suddenly, a brilliant light erupted from behind him. Summoning his Keyblade, Sora whirled to meet it head on, ready to swing the giant key at even the slightest hint of danger. However, he was instead greeted with the sight a fully functional OS lying on the table, the long crack gone.

"AH, that was a great nap. Hmm? Sora! Hey my boy, how's it going? I see that spiky hair of yours still hasn't decided to settle! Hey, hey, tell Uncle OS how things are going with Kairi," the jewel sword blabbed, his excitement invading Sora for a bit.

"Yeah it's great to see you Uncle OS! AH! Right, OS, you gotta help me! Shirou's in some sort of coma right now, I don't know what to do," the boy said, grin instantly disappearing as his mind returned to the situation at hand.

OS' voice turned solemn. "His mind was flooded with all the memories of his template available within me. Usually, I distribute them bit by bit, so he doesn't completely lose track of his identity, but the crack allowed them to flood through. His mind and heart are probably in shambles right now…" the sword said, brilliant glow dimming in his depression.

The sword started to say more, but noticed that Sora wasn't listening anymore. His eyes were closed in concentration, as if he was trying to connect to something, or, knowing how the boy worked, someone's heart.

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The darkness seemed to swirl around him at the thought, as if eager to end his life.  
**  
All that pain and sadness, it can disappear if you allow yourself to disappear. Your ordeal can finally end.**

Could he really do it though? Surely, there were people out there who might – No, who was he kidding? No one wanted to be friends with a drifter. Why would they want a person whom they'll never meet again, a puppet with no real personality of his own.

Let's just end all this.

The darkness pressed onto him, threatening to crush him. He thought he heard a triumphant laughter amongst the pain.

Light.

He could see light again. The darkness had backed away, as if scared of the light. Was this another memory? An orb of light floated gently towards him.

"Shirou!" the orb said, its voice so familiar, yet he couldn't quite place it. He shook his head and closed his eyes. He wanted the darkness. Something which would make everything to go away.

"SHIROU!"

He kept his eyes closed, muttering, "Just end this already. No one would care anyway."

The orb heard him somehow. "No one? What are you talking about? Riku and Kairi would be sad! OS would definitely be sad! I would be devastated. You're our friend Shirou! We stick together through everything, even if it's painful. Especially if it's painful!"

Friend.  
_  
"Kairi! Riku! Come meet Shirou!" the spiky haired boy, Sora, yelled excitedly, dragging a reluctant Shirou along, his small feet seemingly gliding over the rock surface in his haste. Shirou was thankful for all the running practice he had gotten over his time around the worlds, otherwise he would have most certainly tripped over by now, probably tangled up by his slightly-too-large trenchcoat._  
_  
"Sora, slow down! You're going to end up tripping!" the red haired girl, probably Kairi, admonished, wagging a finger in the air as she did so, her face screwed up in mock-scorn._  
_  
"That doesn't-WAAHHH!" _  
_  
Sora tripped spectacularly, sending Shirou to the ground as well, OS flying out of his sheath in the process, somehow landing point first into the hard rock ground. "OW! DICK MOVE BOSS!" the sword yelled, before noticing the shocked faces of the silver haired boy and Kairi. Shirou sighed, realising how much explaining he had to do._  
_  
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_  
"So let me get this straight. You're a traveller who hops around between worlds in search of a bit of entertainment," Riku asked, a strange gleam present in his eyes. Shirou shifted uncomfortably. Sora and Kairi were fine, but the silver-haired boy was a bit strange, asking question after question on his travels as if he had some point to make. To his immense relief, Riku finally seemed satisfied, backing away with a triumphant grin._  
_  
"I knew it!" the boy whooped, grabbing Sora and Kairi, before leaping up and down in excitement, "I knew there were plenty of people who travelled to the other worlds! What did I tell you guys!"_  
_  
Sora shrugged off Riku's arms for a second, before asking, "Hey Shirou. Kairi isn't from around here as well. You guys both have red hair, so maybe you're related!" the boy yelled excitedly, pointing from Kairi to Shirou, both of whom had placed their hands on their face in exasperation._  
_  
"Sora…just because we have red hair doesn't mean we're related…" Kairi sighed, evidently weary of making the point. _  
_  
"No…we're not related. I don't have any siblings, you see. They probably perished in the fire anyway," Shirou said, not noticing the shocked glances from all three children, "It's too bad. It would have been nice to know that someone out there was connected to me like that, even if I never see them. It gets really lonely sometimes with just OS to talk to."_  
_  
"You…don't…have any friends?" Sora asked tentatively, eyes wide with shock. Shirou shrugged. "We have a bit of a no interference law…but no one really cares if I break them in exceptional circumstances…" the slider explained. He was surprised when he felt a pair of hands grasp his. Looking up, he found determined blue eyes staring at him._  
_  
"In that case…We'll be your friends Shirou!" the boy declared, taking the slider by surprise, "You can always count on us for anything! You can visit anytime you want as well! No matter where you are, just remember we'll be there for ya!"_  
_  
Shirou sniggered slightly to cover up his tumbling emotions, pretending to find the speech corny (which it was slightly) rather than inspirational. Sora seemed offended, "Hey! I'm serious you know!"_  
_  
"Yeah yeah I hear you," the red head replied, "thanks…you guys"_  
_  
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Shirou widened his eyes slightly. He was standing on the glass platform once more, the ball of light hovering between him and the furious Archer.

"Shirou! You're OK!" the ball said, the slider finally identifying it as Sora. He chuckled slightly. The boy he met so long ago had somehow kept his promise.

Shirou realised his mistake now. He had been consumed by the negative emotions from Archer, and failed to remember the positive. The friends he had made throughout the multiverse…they gave him worth. They like him for who he was, a slider, not the templates which merely influenced him, not controlled him. With a wry grin, he stared at Archer, who glared back at him.

"I was wrong Archer. Killing myself would solve nothing. Why should I take an easy way out and let people mourn me? No version of me would ever let that happen," Shirou said, stepping slowly towards the dark figure, which was seemingly in pain. "I'm sorry though. You had to endure all that, just because I wasn't strong enough to take it then. But…I'll take all of it. The pain, the hardships, all those memories which I have forced you to witness; I'll mix them with the other memories, the positives which I had been using up till now, where they belong. It's alright now. You can rest now."

Archer began to glow dimly, a blue aura rising off him. Looking around himself, he gave a bitter snort.

"Rest huh? I wish I could, but I know this is merely the end of another cycle," the shade of the Counter Guardian said, disappointment written on his face, "Someday soon, you'll break in two, and then I'll be back for this torment…"

He floated over to Shirou and was absorbed into the slider. Shirou felt the memories settle into their rightful place in his mind, completing him. He sighed contently.  
"No…I won't let it happen again. For both our sakes."

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Shirou sat on the bent Paopu tree, staring at the sunset. It had been so long since he had last been there, and yet it felt right, like he had a place in this world somehow. OS laid silently at his side, still guilty despite everything. Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him.

"It hasn't changed at all, even after all this time," Shirou remarked, as Sora, Riku and Kairi approached the tree, settling into their usual places.

"It never will," Riku replied, contentment seeping into his voice, a far-cry from the restless young boy he had been when they first met. They were all grown up now, each of them having experienced enough to force them to mature despite their age. The four of them stayed like that for a while, luxuriating in the peace for as long as they could.

Suddenly, Shirou stood up and dusted himself, picking up OS off the ground.

"Well, guess it's time for me to head off!" the slider said cheerfully, stretching.

"You're not staying longer?" Kairi asked, disappointed.

"Nah. Travelling is just a part of me now. It's kind of hard to stay in just one place for a while, and I have been here quite a long time. By my standards anyway," the slider chirped, checking his pockets to see if everything was in place.

The trio struggled for words, before Sora chimed, "Well…see ya, I guess. Remember what we told ya!"

Shirou smiled at them, "I got it, thanks." With that he stepped into the portal once more.

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He walked along the deserted road, OS firmly in his grip.

"Strange…it really does feel like I'm leaving behind something important to me," the slider said, hands clutching his heart.

"Well…you two did get really close during your time together. I don't think either of you left the other's side the whole time~" OS said coyly.

"For the last time, just because we're both red heads doesn't mean I like Kairi."

"Kairi? Who said anything about Kairi? I was talking about Sora!"

"What!"

"Oh come on, don't tell me you don't feel something for the boy now that the two of you have bumped hearts…"

"….Can't even suppress this memory anymore…"


	27. Smiles and Goodbyes

|･ω･｡)

|･c･｡)≦(Many thanks to fraggle for co-writing this snippet. Been a wild ride. Also, cookies to whomever can name all the references.)

|･ω･｡)

|ω･｡)

|･｡)

|  
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Need to write! ヽ(ﾟДﾟ)ﾉ

Σ￢o(*0* ) Must shoot noobs in the head!

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... We must build additional pylons! ＼(〇O〇)／

┻━┻ ︵ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ︵ ┻━┻ Why am I running around!?

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...Who let the damn dogs out!? (≧Д≦)

(*゜Д゜*) Why is the roof on fire!

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...I need to save earth from the Forerunner! ヽ( ￣д￣;)ノ

[○･｀Д´･○] Where is my car!?

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... The goggles! They do nothing!ヽ(⌐■Д■)ﾉ

Sleepy time is here.

[(-,-)]Zzzzzzzz

Σ[(OcO)] Noh!

[(0,=)] Need...

[(=,-)] To...

[(-,-)]Zzzzz

[(-,-)]Zzzzz (*,* |

[(-,-)]Zzzzz 旦_(*,* |

[(-,-)]Zzzzz 旦 .(*,* |

[(-,-)]Zzzzz 旦... .(*.|

[(-,-)]Zzzzz 旦 ... .(*|

[(-,-)]Zzzzz 旦

/( . □.)\ Strategic Snippet Bomb!

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Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg stood in the backyard of the Emiya residence, the garden empty but for himself and his companion Signum Yagami.

"So, aren't you going to say goodbye?" Asked Signum Yagami while she watched the Slider prepare, OS at the ready.

"I'd rather not," The young man confessed. "I honestly think they'd be more comfortable if we just left quietly."

"And here I thought I would get to have a saying in my preferences."

Before Signum could reply both her and her companion were startled by his own voice spoken from the doorway. The two turned around, greeted by the sight of Emiya Shirou, the adult Reinforce, and the other Wolkenritter watching them.

"Hey…hi…erm…me. I just didn't-" Shirou Schweinorg stuttered, only to stop as Emiya Shirou stepped forward while sporting a determined look on his face.

"Look," He started, pausing as he scratched his head in a familiar gesture. "Rein told me about what she and Signum were talking about yesterday, and I have a favor to ask from you."

Shirou Schweinorg took a measuring look at the boy, before shrugging his shoulders. "Well… on the condition that you tell me what they talked abou-oomph!" The slider was cut off as an elbow promptly buried itself into his stomach, carrying enough strength to make him double over with a groan.

"HA!" OS vocalized with his usual smug tone. "You didn't think that was going to work did ya boss?"

While Shirou Schweinorg desperately tried to catch his breath, Signum hesitantly stepped forward.

"Why do you want to come with us?"

Emiya Shirou paused, looking at Reinforce as if asking her for permission. The two of them nodded, as if they had reached an agreement. He turned back to face Signum, once more slowly scratching the back of his head.

"Well…In all honesty, after hearing about how your Hayate reacted to my...our...that…erm…Trace, or whatever it was, Rein and I agreed that, after all that happened, she deserves a little resolution from that. Even though we did not technically have a hand in it, I still feel that some part of her suffering can be blamed on me."

"Technically." Wheezed out Shirou Schweinorg from his little spot on the floor. "Most of the fault lies with Signum here."

"As if!" Answered the Knight immediately.

"Who's the one that dropped me from a gazillion feet in the air?" Asked Shirou with a smirk, causing Signum to flush and look away angrily. He turned back to his alternate, his expression growing somber. "Anyways, the fault does not lie with any of you at all. Forgive me for saying this, but I know you. Why do you _really_ want to come with us?"

Emiya Shirou looked as if he had been slapped, his eyes dropping to the floor in shame. "That's right… Even so, I-I just…" He said, fumbling for words.

He paused, his eyes widening in surprise as Reinforce tightened her grip on his hand, Zafira dropped his heavy palm unto his shoulder, Signum Ritter stepped up to him and put an arm around his shoulders, Shamal ruffling his hair while Vita lightly elbowed him on the shortribs.

The sudden display of affection seemed to relieve they boy of an unseen burden, the boy took a deep breath before meeting the eyes of his alternate in what was almost a challenge.

"I _want _to go. Even though I cannot understand that kind of loss anymore, the old me did. That's why, even if it's just for a single moment, I…We want to give that girl something for all that she lost."

Shirou Schweinorg returned the stare evenly for a few moments before nodding. "Nothing I can really say against that eh?" The young man shrugged as he turned around, his attention back on his device. "Anyways, this will be a little awkward… but I think we can handle it. I am going to ask you to touch me so that you'll be pulled along for the ride."

"Bow-chika-bow-wow~!" Said OS jovially, causing the Slider to plant his face on his palms.

Shirou and Rein both ignored the eccentric weapon and moved forward. After a few moments Vita stepped forward to stand beside them.

"Vita?" The question was made in stereo as Emiya Shirou and Signum Yagami voiced it at the same time.

Vita eyed Shirou Schweinorg for a moment before crossing her arms and turning to her Master. "I'm going with you guys, there is no way I'll ever trust _any_ Hayate _anywhere _near the two of you."

"Vita… we talked about it. It's not like you to carry a grudge as long as this."

"I stand by my point."

To Signum, the certainty in Vita's voice caused a lump to form in her throat, making it hard to swallow. At the same time her hands fisted, the tone of Vita's voice making her tremble in anger.

Yet she could not truly blame this Vita for her words. This Vita had never met _her_ Hayate… the girl didn't know what she was talking about.

Logic did nothing to alleviate her anger, her effort to remain silent becoming unbearable as she watched the expression on Vita's face…

It was wrong, to her, seeing any Vita regarding Hayate like that…..

Before Signum could even speak up the sound of another gauntlet impacting on the readhead's cranium, pulled the displeased Yagami out of her inner turmoil.

"Think about who is around you Vita." Said Signum Ritter as she removed her knuckles from the crown of Vita's head. The only response she received was a whimper from the cowering girl. Yagami Signum could not help but smile at the scene.

"Alright that's enough everyone." Called Shirou Schweinorg as OS began to glow with a muted, multicolored glow. "Gather up on me."

Emiya Shirou, Reinforce, Yagami Signum, and Vita Ritter all gathered around him, their faces set in a stony expression.

OS sniffled loudly before speaking in a fake crying tone. "My boss the center of a five-some. Your father would be so proud."

Silence reigned supreme.

"Hehehe.."

"Don't laugh Vita, you'll only encourage it." Shamal spoke.

"Hahaha!" Continued Vita undaunted.

"OS." Shirou Schweinorg muttered, frozen in the act of bringing the sword down.

"Yes boss?"

"As _soon_ as this transfer is done I am going to hit you."

OS remained quiet for a few moments before answering. "Totally worth it."

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"Shirou, I'm telling you this is a terrible idea." Pleaded Vita Ritter to her Master.

"Vita." Emiya Shirou replied, a warning evident in his tone.

"No no I'm being serious here! This is a bad _bad __**bad**_ idea!"

"Vita, that's enough." Emiya stared down at her, exasperation coloring his voice.

"Shirou at least let me summon up my barrier jacke-"

"Vi-ta." Shirou spoke slowly and with a tone of finality, causing the redhead to choke down her pleas.

"-ive him a piece of my mind!"

"Ah…" Shirou Schweinorg muttered, "I remember this from the last time..."

The warcry emanating from the Yagami residence was the only warning the group was given before a Yagami Hayate threw the door open and stormed out of her house.

Emiya Shirou winced at the fury written plainly across her face. Signum moved immediately towards Hayate, the knight showing worry as she reached out toward her Lord. Yagami Vita, Zafira and Shamal soon joined what was supposed to be a happy reunion, a family made whole once more… until Yagami Hayate's eyes registered the other people waiting patiently outside…

A mangled cry made its way through the girl's throat as her eyes fixated themselves on the form of Reinforce Eins, standing behind Emiya Shirou.

Everyone froze.

Four were frozen in indecision, for moving might unleash a reaction of unknown proportions

Two were frozen in a mixture of disbelief and anguish, for before them stood a person that did not exist anymore.

One was frozen, staring at herself standing placidly beside the man that had caused her family much grief, and was returning her own confused gaze with one of her own

The last person was frozen in indecisiveness. For she could remember having been in a situation not unlike the present one, a situation in which the slightest movement would set forth a series of events that would culminate in disaster.

Hayate roared in a mixture of anger and pain as a Belkan spell circle appeared before her.

"Ahh shit Shirou!" Screamed Vita Ritter screamed as she released Graf Eisen from its standby form. "I _told you_ this was a bad idea!"

Shirou's loyal knight lashed out with her hammer against the berserking mage, only for the descending strike of her hammer to be blocked by the identical Graf Eisen as Yagami Vita protected her lord with a swing of her own.

"Like I'd let you, you fake!"

"Fake? Who do you think you are talking to?!"

"You, you fake…. Faker!"

"Faker? Oh you did not just say that!"

"Stop this!" Yagami Signum cried out as everything unfolded in front of her. "Master, please!"

The exchange of hammer strikes and the bantering of the two Vita's shook all but one of the Wolkenritter out of the confusion, summoning their armaments as they stepped into the fray, ignoring Signum's desperate plea to calm down.

"Prism Trace: Failed Knight!" Cried out Shirou Scweinorg, reacting on the imprinted instincts of a life not his own, moving in order to protect the outnumbered Vita Ritter.

OS released his signature multicolored glow from his place in Shirou's belt as he was flooded with magical energy in preparation to activate a Trace.

Signum watched the familiar spectacle, calling Levatein on reflex, as she set aside her personal feelings. Her expression hardened as she readied herself to aid her family in the coming fight.

"That's enough, please…" Two voices spoke in perfect synchronicity, a deep baritone mirrored perfectly by a calm soprano. The next two words they spoke caused everyone present to pause.

"Unison…On."

Within the storm of light Emiya Shirou changed. His hair turned a silver gray while gold-plated gauntlets materialized to cover his hands.

"Why…" Shamal stuttered as she looked at the boy standing in front of her, garbed in a black and white barrier jacket, sides and kneecaps given additional protection by gold-tinted armor. Her eyes widened even further as they watched the decorations embedded in the armor, the white sleeves of his jacket engraved with the same symbol that was proudly displayed on his chest:The cross of the Northern Sky.

"Trigger… off."

Six magnificent black wings unfolded behind him as the mage threw out his arms. Two spell circles appeared in front of his palms, one a bright pink, the other a muted gold.

"**Restrain!"**

At the spellcaster's command a plethora of pink and golden rings instantly settled over the limbs of everyone present. Four bindings were applied to each extremity and several more attached to the main body, restraining every single individual as they left them all locked in place, ensuring no one could move a single limb.

Emiya Shirou's expression remained stone cold as he gestured with his left hand, the counter binding spells of both Hayate and the Wolkenritter fizzling defiantly before fading away as several more layers were applied to their bindings.

"Please, can we stop fighting now?"

Hayate chocked as her arms were forced to her sides, causing the Belkan spell circle to collapse. Emiya Shirou's eyes fell as he took in the sight of the distressed woman, binding spells loosening themselves as he released the brunette from his grip.

The silence was broken as the door to the Yagami household opened, revealing the tiny form of Reinforce Zwei peeking through the crack.

"Hayate, is that evil man that hurt Signum still arou-"

It was at this moment that Reinforce finally realized what had happened outside her house, she stared from the bound forms of the Wolkenritter, to the second Vita, to the kneeling form of Hayate to the bound form of the man that had stolen Signum.

Finally she noticed the man staring at her with familiar red eyes; his silver hair returning to a reddish shade as… a woman emerged from his body, the unison canceled as…. her predecessor emerged from within him.

"Bweh?" The girl spat out as her mind failed to comprehend what had happened.

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The woman was staring at her. That is the only thought that continuously echoed through the mind of Reinforce Zwei.

The woman who was looking at her … was most definitely her predecessor, the one that had sacrificed herself to spare Hayate from the darkness that had tainted the Book of the Night Sky…the unison program from whose linker core her own had budded after it had fused with Hayate's.

That woman…Reinforce Eins was staring at her, the mysterious lady giving Reinforce Zwei her full attention. In fact, she was ignoring everyone else, even the person who she had been unisoned with until just now.

Reinforce Zwei fidgeted under the unrelenting gaze, not sure what to make of it. Then the older woman moved. The smaller Rein froze, like a deer staring at a pair of headlights, as the taller woman closed the distance between them at a hesitant pace.

By the time Eins had reached her, the smaller girl was reduced to a trembling wreck, not unlike like a newborn kitten.

Nobody dared to speak; every single person simply looked at the surreal sight of the two Reinforces interacting. Eins slowly extended her hand toward Zwei. She suddenly hesitated, seeming afraid that her touch would burn the skin of her counterpart.

"~Auu…." The smaller girl moaned, her nerves getting the better of her. Spurred by the sound the wavering hand finally settled on her cheek with the lightest possible touch, gentle as though the slightest amount of force would be enough to break the small girl. When Zwei did not pull back, a small smile bloomed on the woman's face, the purest of joys radiating from her features.

Before she realized it the smaller girl had already started to snuggle her cheek unto the hand.

She couldn't help it; it was a soft and warm hand after all.

"A part of me…just wants to hug you and take you home." Eins slowly spoke.

"Bweh?"

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Emiya Shirou and Yagami Hayate awkwardly walked after each other into the living room, following the trail of their respective unison devices. Shirou Schweinorg and the Wolkenritter trailed behind them, the two Vita's bringing up the rear, butting heads and growling at one another.

They were treated to the sight of Reinforce Zwei squirming on the lap of Reinforce Eins, the older woman's arms around the blue eyed girl's waist.

Everyone stared at everyone without a clue as to what to do except for the two Vitas who simply continued growling at one another, completely unconcerned with the recent events, or perhaps they were simply unaware.

Reinforce Eins spoke up. "Ah! S-Shirou…I ah…She's warm, a-and smells good, and…I don't know what came over me." As she spoke, her voice lost strength until the last words were delivered in a demure whisper, falling completely silent as she pressed her lips to the back of Zwei's head, only her dewy eyes visible over the hair of the girl in her lap.

Reinforce Zwei's blush, impossible as it should be, deepened.

Emiya Shirou blinked, opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, blinked a second time, then closed his mouth with a 'click.' "T-That's…good to know?"

Silence once more reigned supreme as everyone tried to figure out what to say or do.

"Ah, now I know why I approved of this" OS spoke, drawing everyone's attention toward Sweinorg's belt. "As expected….. It's truly a case of MOE~ Overload!"

"Moe?" Both Reins spoke at the same time, twisting their heads slightly as they blinked in sync.

"C-Camera…"Shamal stuttered." I need a camera! Someone bring me a camera!"

The door was smashed open with such force it rebounded against the wall, revealing Takamachi Nanoha, Fate T. Harlown, and Yuuno Scrya as they rushed into the house.

"Hayate! We got here as soon as we could! I'm so glad Signum is back but are you o-" It was at that moment that Nanoha realized several things. The first being that Hayate was indeed fine. Signum had in fact arrived home safe and sound, the man that had taken her with him as he made his escape was sitting placidly at the table, and there appeared to be two of him.

And the one that blew all other realizations from her mind. Reinforce Eins was sitting at the table with Zwei sitting in her lap, snuggling her face unto Zwei's hair so that only her ruby-eyes were visible.

Nanoha blinked, her mouth opened and closed several times like a fish out of water. She flapped her arms and pointed at Eins, unable to give voice to her questions. Her friend Yuuno Scrya was frozen behind her, his jaw fallen open in amazement.

They were both rescued by the ever soft-spoken Fate. "Hayate…w-what's going on?"

Hayate looked from Fate, to Nanoha, to Yuuno, to Reinforce Eins and Zwei, to Emiya Shirou, to Schweinorg, to her beloved Wolkenritter, to the two Vitas that even now butted heads, back to the three that had come in, and back to Eins and Zwei.

She made a gurgling sound.

"Let me help you with that." OS spoke up. "For those that haven't noticed: Its '~moe'"

"Mhuh?" Fate blinked, tasting the word as she watched the sight with a curious expression.

"WellI'msureyou'reallhungrysoI'llworkondinnerwhileyouguysex plaineverytingbye!" Said Shirou Schweinorg as he scudded towards the kitchen.

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To say that it was a strange day at the Yagami household...

"So...erm...yeah." Said Emiya Shirou as he awkwardly waved his hand.

"I-I see." Answered Yagami Hayate as she nodded.

"Y-Yeah...that's how it is." Said Shirou after a few moments of silence.

The gazes of Reinforce Eins and Zwei moved back and forth between the two masters each time one of them spoke. The younger sapphire eyed girl sat comfortably in the lap of the garnet eyed Reinforce, no longer made uncomfortable by the older woman's arms that held her close.

Yagami Vita and Ritter continued to growl at one another while doing everything they could not to stare at each other's eyes.

Yagami Signum took a minute sip of her tea, composed as ever, as Zafira, Shamal, Nanoha, Fate, and Yuuno all sat in heavy silence, afraid to join in the 'conversation.'

"..."

To say that it was a strange day would be a massive understatement.

"So, is beef stew ok with everyone~?" Called Shirou Schweinorg happily from the kitchen, his jovial tone completely at odds with the awkward situation in the living room.

Hayate sat up straight, startled by the sudden question. "Ah! Y-Yes!"

"Anything special anyone wants?"

Vita Ritter let out a groan, before breaking her deadlock with her other self. "Dammit Shirou," She yelled towards the kitchen, "Why don't you take the headaches away like you did for Signum!?" She demanded angrily.

"Wha? He can do that!?" Yagami Vita moaned in an un-amused tone.

Shirou Schweinorg spoke up before either of the Vitas could continue. "Can't do that. If I do that the two of you will just start fighting again. This way the headache keeps you nice and calm."

"You evil magician," The two Vitas muttered darkly.

"Well if that's all~" He said as he ducked back into the kitchen.

"Perhaps I could-?" Began Shamal before she was cut off by Emiya Shirou and Schweinorg, Yagami Vita and Vita Ritter, and Hayate.

""No!"" The two Vitas answered as one..

""I/He'll be fine by myself/himself!"" The two Shirous added, one defending his kitchen while the other watched his counterpart.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Yagami Hayate placed the final blow, the blond hanging her shoulders as her request was denied.

"Ah…sorry." Shamal spoke in a very tiny voice as she watched Shirou Schweinorg retreat back into the kitchen. She looked up as she felt a warm hand ruffle her blond hair.

"There there, next time for sure," Said Reinforce Eins, sporting a small yet warm smile.

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Shirou Schweinorg headed to his small mountains of painstakingly arranged ingredients. Making enough beef stew to satisfy all of the people in the room would be quite a chore…

A rewarding chore, but a great one nonetheless.

He dug his favorite knife out of his haversack while preparing the rest of the utensils he would need, and headed to the small mountain of potatoes that would get sliced and diced. He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, twirling the knife between his fingers in a show that was both dangerous and rather pointless but he enjoyed doing anyways.

The knife was suddenly halted from its spinning and Shirou set to cutting, his hand moving so quickly one without training would see naught but a blur.

Suddenly he startled, pulled his hands back while sucking on his off-hand's index finger.

"Boss?" Asked OS, popping out of his sheath.

Shirou set the knife down, took the finger out of his mouth and replied with a smile. "Heh, guess I got a little rusty there, can't believe my fingers slipped."

OS remained uncharacteristically quiet, and plopped back into his scabbard without giving further commentary.

Shirou began cutting again, starting out slow before once more gaining speed. A small tremble began to run down his arms at semi-regular intervals. Shirou did his level best to ignore it.

That proved to be the wrong decision as he cut himself a second time not soon after that.

"H-Hehe…I guess I'm more tired than I thought I was, eh OS?" Said Shirou, his voice trembling as he put a bandage across the second cut. Once again going against the norm, OS retained his council.

Shirou took a deep steadying breath, and once more started cutting into the pile of vegetables. Each movement slow, careful, and measured. He was halfway through the potatoes when he ran the knife across the back of his knuckles, causing him to swear and once more clean and bandage his hand, his task made all the harder by the shaking.

Once he was done, he once more stubbornly picked up the knife and set himself in front of the cutting board. He tried to still his trembling digits, but no matter how hard he clutched the knife's handle, his hands simply refused to stop.

OS popped out of his sheath. "Boss? Boss you can't stay like this much longer."

Shirou set down the knife, clutched both of his hands tightly and took a deep breath.

"Boss you have to stop repressing it, it'll only get worse the more you do." Continued OS, his tone worried.

"Shut up OS."

"Just say you need to be excused or something. Take a bath and have a good cry, boss you just need t-"

"_Shut up OS."_ Interrupted Shirou in a harsh tone, digging into his coat pockets, his movements just a step removed from frantic. "I can handle this. It's nothing I haven't been through before, I'm _fine_."

OS remained quiet for a few moments. "No boss…it's not, and you are not."

He found the bottle he was looking for, placed a few tablets into his shaking palm. Said feat took him more effort than he imagined, several tablets falling to the ground. In a single motion he popped them into his mouth and swallowed them dry, the shaking of his hands slowing after a minute.

"Boss…Boss you should not be doing this." Continued OS, worry still evident in his voice.

Shirou took deep lungfuls of air and waited until the tremors subsided completely. "I only need to hang on for another day, two at the most. After that I can deal with everything, I just…have to hang on for another two days." He picked up a towel and wiped at his sweat covered face.

OS remained quiet for a few moments before speaking. "What's happening boss?"

Shirou regarded the towel for a while before finally answering his companion.

"It's the native alternate, the Shirou of this universe. I tried looking into his memories shortly after we arrived, but now they won't stop bleeding in. His life…It wasn't a walk in the park for him."

"Ahh…I…I could try and block those?" Asked OS hesitantly, causing Shirou to bark a bitter laugh.

"Can't, you are already suppressing the feedback for six people. No, I just have to bear with it. I'll be _fine_." Stated Shirou with iron hard conviction.

"Boss…" Began OS before falling silent.

Shirou turned back to the mountain of vegetables. After all, it would not cut itself.

"I'm _fine_." Stated Shirou one more time before he got to work.

He almost managed to convince himself he was telling the truth.

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Dinner was louder than any would have at first expected.

"Ha!...I'll prove to you…you are just…a defective copy!"

"Like hell!...You'll see…who the boss is!"

"Don't talk…cross-eyed!"

"F-Faker!"

It was mostly thanks to Vita trying to out-eat Vita. But that was still a lot more noise than one would have at first expected. If one were to ignore the isolated insanity that was Vita trying to eat more than Vita, they'd see that the whole group was sitting quietly.

Nanoha simply stirred her stew, her appetite all but vanished as she surveyed the guests of her friend. Her eyes were sharp, yet they seemed unfocused, concentrating on her own thoughts.

Zafira ate with a gusto only surpassed by the two Vitas.

Shamal ate demurely, savoring each spoonful and bite, wondering if she could convince Shirou Schweinorg to teach her how to cook it.

Yuuno ate quickly and silently, paying the food the same attention he paid to his meals at a dig; that is to say, none at all. Instead his attention was divided between observing Reinforce Eins and Zwei while attempting to puzzle out equations that Shirou Schweinorg had scribbled down in a napkin for him. The equations were supposed to be one factor facilitating interdimensional travel using the system known as the 'second magic', or the kaleidoscope, as Sweinorg had called it. So far they not only made no sense. At one point he had finally managed to understand one of the parts, but when trying to integrate it into another part it wouldn't make sense.

Even worse, when he attempted the same equation again later in order to gain a better understanding of it, it resulted in a different answer, as if the formula had literally rewritten itself while he wasn't looking. Apparently observing the formula itself altered its properties…

He would not be able to puzzle it out any time soon. But Yuuno Scrya was nothing if not stubborn.

Signum ate the same way she always did, taking efficient mouthfuls and savoring the meal. Stopping only to punish OS for any transgression he committed while they ate, or to answer any question her family had about her 'adventures'. The fact that the retelling was something more akin to a military report was a quirk her family was completely accustomed to.

The way she would stutter and blush whenever Shirou Schweinorg and OS added their own two cents to her version of events, often leaving out particular key details that made the scene described take a light it most certainly should not have had. Like the time she gave Shirou an impassioned speech while wearing only one of his shirts, or the way that she wrestled him to the floor so she could declare her dominance over him, was most certainly not something they got to see very often. Signum in fact considered it a blessing that Vita was so busy trying to out-eat herself; she would never hear the end of it otherwise.

It was good for her present peace of mind she did not notice the ominous glint in Hayate's eyes.

Emiya Shirou ate in fascinated silence. Surrounded by his family that was at the same time not his, in the company of people he would normally avoid, paying particular attention to the smallest things. A quirk his family had that these Wolkenritter did not. A cadence of speaking that was not shared by his own. He supposed that this is what it had felt like for Signum to have dinner at his house. To tell the absolute truth he found it rather unsettling.

His attention drifted towards the other corner of the table, where is companion sat with her… daughter?

That line of thought was rather unexpected.

The two of them sat side by side, taking only a few spoonfuls of dinner before stopping to stare at the other. When their eyes met they would turn away quickly and blush. The cycle would repeat itself after a few moments.

"You… you got something on your check…Here."

Eins carefully wiped Zwei's face with her napkin, causing the sapphire-eyed Reinforce to squirm and blush under the elder's administrations. It seemed that the older Rein had simply chosen to ignore the younger girl's proclamations that she could do it herself.

It was almost like a mother and child…

""More!"" Demanded the Vitas, holding out their bowls at the same time for a refill.

"Vita." Hayate scowled at her knight as Shirou Schweinorg refilled Vita Ritter's bowl. "You've already had six bowls, that's more than enough."

"But Hayate!" Yagami Vita pouted petulantly.

"But me no buts!" Answered Hayate decisively. "You've had more than enough."

Yagami Vita descended into sullen mutters, her eyes flashing as Vita Ritter smirked and deliberately took the first bite of her seventh serving.

"Vita." Said Emiya Shirou with a sigh, causing his Vita to tense.

"Yes~?"

"Stop teasing yourself."

"Yes Shirou."

Even though she agreed her smirk did not disappear. In fact it only got wider while she finished another three bowls, eyeing her counterpart across the table as the latter shook with impotent rage.

Fate Testerossa, for her own part, simply ate. The beef stew was divine. She took a bite out of the homemade biscuits and paused. She noticed that the batch of biscuits set in front of her had been toasted oh so very slightly more than what was considered normal…

…Exactly how she liked it.

Fate took another look at all the dishes, carefully, analyzing the contents of the other bowls. Suddenly she realized she had been served slightly different portions then everyone else. Not only was her batch of biscuits special, she had gotten extra potatoes, prepared the way she preferred it.

How had he known?

Fate turned her keen ruby gaze toward the same redhead that had caused them such trouble two weeks back, and tried to puzzle out the enigma he represented. He claimed to be nothing more than a traveler, yet he had been able to elude the Wolkenritter for a significant amount of time, fight their combined strength to a standstill, was able to create an explosion of sufficient force to annihilate a whole building.

And, if Signum's story was to be believed, He was able to borrow powers and knowledge form an infinite numbers of parallel universes and was capable of matching what could only be described as a demon blow for blow, simply by borrowing said power…

Yet such a person seemed to be nothing more than glad to have the opportunity to cook a large meal, having dinner beside people that once tried to wound and arrest him, due to what amounted to a misunderstanding. A cold shiver ran down Fate's spine as she realized that somehow, using one of his abilities, he knew exactly how she liked both her stew and her biscuits.

The young man she was studying looked up, causing their eyes to meet. She was momentarily tempted to drop her gaze lest he think she was being rude, but the warmth in his gaze stopped her.

The smile he gave her reminded Fate of the smiles Lindy directed at her after adopting her.

Shirou Schweinorg looked away from Fate, quietly studying those around him. He slowly and carefully took another spoonful, taking the time to ensure his hands did not shake. The smiles of the people around him as they finally got over their awkwardness and began to have a conversation gave him a feeling of accomplishment.

Yagami Hayate sat quietly, her eyes fixated on the form of Reinforce Eins. She realized this was the first meal she ever shared with Eins. As she thought this, she saw the ruby eyed woman respond to something Emiya Shirou told her, absently dipping her biscuit into the broth of the stew then taking a small bite. She then wiped Zwei's cheek again, ignoring the younger girl's protests.

Hayate did what she could to swallow the lump in her throat and continued dinner, doing her level best not to dwell in what could have been.

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Emiya Shirou took another sip of his tea as he, Schweinorg, Yuuno Scrya, and Zafira sat together in the living room, enjoying the moment of companionable silence…

"HA! I _told_ you I was better…"

Until Vita loudly disrupted the peace, her voice emanating from beyond the bathroom door, which had not been completely closed after the girls had entered that particular room.

Thus presenting the remaining males with a rather fascinating auditory show.

"…they are definitely bigger than yours!"

"_**WHAT!?**_" Cried out Vita's voice. "That's impossible! We are supposed to be the same!"

"I've had better nutrition." The first Vita's voice proclaimed with a smug undertone. "You see… mine can actually bounce!"

Shouting, growling, splashing, and other sounds echoed through the room as each male avoided the gaze of the others, the growing blushes on their faces clearly indicating that, yes they were fantasizing about what was happening inside that sacred place.

"Ufufu. Are you jealous, my inferior alternative? Behold! The results of Emiya Shirou's labors in the divine kitchen! Feel them! Feel them and weep!"

"Get those out of my Face!"

Emiya Shirou looked pointedly innocent as the eyes of Zafira and Yuuno landed on him.

"Wooow." Reinforce Zwei's voice echoed, replacing the growls of the two Vita's. "Hayate, am I going to be that big when I grow up?"

"Y-You…. W-what are you saying!?" The embarrassed voice of Reinforce Eins responded, the mature, yet innocent tone sending a shiver down the male's spines.

"Weeeeell~" Came Hayate's mysterious voice. "If you drink milk every day and eat all your vegetables, I'm sure you'll be even bigger!"

"Awesome!" Zwei's approval was soon joined by cries of surprise and embarrassment. "Oohhh! They're so sooooft!"

"Awawawawawa. W-Where are you touch-Hya!"

The cup in Emiya Shirou's hand cracked, the pressure on the fragile china too much for it to bear.

"Sooo soft. I can just lie down against them and sleep away!"

"That's….. You can't do that!"

"Rein…don't tease her." Shamal spoke up, the sound of water splashing suggesting the blond had pulled the smaller girl out of the water.

"Oh…I think my switch was flipped."

"Yagami-san… you look scary"

Another crack appeared in the cup.

"Eeep! She looks scary! Rein, protect me!" A Vita cried out.

"Which one?" The other responded.

A sudden pause, no sound emanating form the room as if time had frozen…

"W-What?" The trembling voice of Eins shattered the frozen world, before a long, terrifying chuckle emanated throughout the building

"On no…When she gets like this." Nanoha's voice, laded with dread, slowly heralded…

"Time for skinship! Skiiiinshiiiip!"

…the choir of terrified squeals.

"Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm…" Emiya Shirou muttered, his eyebrow twitching nonstop as the blush on his face grew with every indecent moan that echoed form the bathroom.

"Do you… want a beer?" Asked Zafira with a note of desperation on his voice.

""Yes/Do you have Vodka?"" Answered Yuuno, and Schweinorg respectively, all speaking at the exact same time. As the final member remained silent, they all turned to him…

"I'd like…" Emiya Shirou started.

"Don't touch me there! Only Shirou can touch me there!" A desperate cry cut off his request as everyone in the living room froze.

"It's okay! We are both girls after all!"

"That…That doesn't work like that! Vita! Protect me!"

"I won't let you pass, you perverted molester!"

"Ufufu! A Vita with extra boobies is fine too!"

"Kyaa!"

"…Vodka." Emiya Shirou slowly repeated Sweinorg's suggestion as his hand refused to stop trembling. "Vodka sound just fine right now."

Zafira needed no further urging and immediately ran to his secret stash of booze.

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"I've been ruined for marriage." Lamented Vita Ritter as she tottered out of the Yagami's bathroom, her hair undone and damp while wearing a set of her _evil _counterpart's clothing.

"Ha! If you could not even handle _that_ then how can you call yourself my better!?" Yagami Vita pointed out with great pride in her voice. Vita Ritter squeaked, before scuttling behind Reinforce Eins as she peeked back at her alternate from behind Rein's legs.

"Y-You mean s-she gets _worse_ than _that!?_"

Yagami Vita's chest expanded in pride. "Ha! Much _much_ _**much **_worse! It would take three times as much to _start_ making me feel uncomfortable now!"

Vita Ritter stared at her alternate for a long moment, before wailing and sprinting away toward the living room, calling for her master as she lamented that she was not pure anymore. Following her dash was Reinforce Eins, clad in Signum's spare clothing, walking at a calm pace. It wasn't like she was increasing the speed at which she strode in order to get to the safety net that was her Master all the quicker.

"Wait for us, Eins-san!"

Nope, not at all.

As Eins turned around the corner she was greeted with the sight of Vita standing frozen, the girl staring inside the living room. As she walked closer the voices emanating form the room became clearer, but not enough to prepare her for the sight that was about to greet her.

"A-And get this! So they've been training, she's been acting all shy and she uses hunger as an excuse to stop right on time instead of later as was usual." Shirou Schweinorg waved with his hand, pausing to take a drink out of the mostly empty bottle of a clear liquid which he held onto. "So he says 'Sorry no can do, we're fasting today' and begins to tease the girl that can annihilate a mountain about how much she eats!" At that moment the storyteller let out a snort in an attempt to stifle his laughter, bending over as his shoulders shook with mirth.

The other Shirou, Yuuno, and Zafira failed to keep their laughter in check, either falling over in laughter or slamming their hands on the table in their glee.

Their rosy cheeks and overall lost looks proclaiming their state of mind for all to see.

"And I haven't even gotten to the best part! Ok so they keep teasing her right? And then she gets all smiley and uppity and dandy! Telling him they should just go ahead and continue for another ten minutes! The idiot me… that fool of a Shirou… looks away for a moment and BAM! She's wearing her armor!"

Emiya Shirou began to strike his thigh, attempting to distract himself from his laughter by the application of some old fashioned self-mutilation. "So then she friggin _disappears_ and hits him so hard in the forehead he is not only knocked cold…. but actually _died_ for a moment there. I swear to you, he really passed from his mortal coil for a moment!"

At this point both Shirous, Yuuno, and Zafira fell to the floor, rolling around as they laughed.

Eventually Emiya Shirou looked up and noticed Reinforce Eins.

"Rein!" He happily cried out, waving his hand in her direction as he stumbled onto his knees. "Rein… You won't _believe_ how stupid the older me was! A version of him shoved a potato into a _vampire's_ _mouth_! And then… told him to stop doing vampire stuff! Or he would never fight him again!"

Anything else Emiya Shirou might have said was lost as the alcohol and his mirth reduced him to a laughing wreck of a man.

The girls, finally having caught up with both Vita and Rein, simply looked at the mess before exchanging gazes, then looking back to the men in the room. Eventually Eins sighed, before strolling to her Master as she helped him sit up, trying to calm him down.

Unfortunately Emiya Shirou would have none of that. As she sat down behind him he leaned backwards, whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear him clearly.

"Hey Rein! Did you notice?! She named the Rein… the you of this world, Rein as well!"

"Yes Shirou, I noticed."

Emiya Shirou giggled, he leaned closer to her, as if he was about to reveal one of the most sacred secrets of the universe. "I mean, do you get it? _Yagami_ _Hayate_ named your alternate here Reinforce! It's funny because she obviously has a better naming sense than I do. I suck an making up names but she called you Reinforce anyways!"

"Yes Shirou, she did." Said Reinforce, humoring him.

"I mean, what If I had just called you Trace? That would have been just weird, but then again…I suck at these things but you know…" Shirou Trailed off, having lost track of his own conversation.

"Hey… Hey Haya…Hayaya…Hayate~" Yuuno happily waved at the girl. "This guy is not so bad after all! You should like...forgive him. I mean…the gash on my shoulder wasn't that bad anyways."

Hayate sighed, walked over to Yuuno who was currently trying and failing to maintain eye contact with her.

"Yeah, yeah... Just sit up you drunk," she muttered said while Shamal tried to aid Zafira.

"I am... not drunk!...Well, not much, anyway."

Okay, so he'd had a bit much…..more so than usual. Certainly not enough to render him intoxicated to the point of earning the descriptor of 'drunk'. Well, maybe. Sitting up properly as Hayate requested turned out to be a bit more difficult than initially planned.

After all, he wasn't entirely sure which direction was up.

"Yes, you are." Hayate placed her hands on her hips and smirked. "I bet you can't even count how many fingers I'm holding up." If he could at least reason this one out, she wouldn't need to douse him in water.

"Ehehehe~ Fingers. Look Signum, she has FIN-GERS!"

She turned to stare at the giggling form of Shirou Schweinorg. It seemed that Signum's friend could use a cold shower.

Yuuno shook his head. "You're not holding any up!" He said accusingly. Seriously, how could he count fingers if she didn't give him the chance? "How'm…How'm I supposed to count them… if you don't have any?"

Hayate sighed and opted to stop playing around. Hauling him to his feet, she slung one arm over her shoulder for support. "At least when you're tired, you're easier to put to bed." She muttered as she began to drag him away.

Signum walked over to Shirou Schweinorg, who was trying to chug what remained of the bottle of vodka while dousing his clothes in the attempt. With a single motion she snatched the bottle from his hands, spilling even more on the floor while making him squeal in protest.

"I take my eyes off you for _one second_ and you make a mess." Signum pointed out with a huff, the woman about to berate him further before she paused, noticing that his hands were rather heavily bandaged.

He had not sported those before he started cooking. She had only seen him cook three times, yet when he did it had been with the rapidity and simplicity of motion that came with many hours of experience. Not to mention the quality of the meal he had crafted using only the most basic ingredients. Though he had made enough to feed fourteen people, quite a few of whom ate multiple servings, and washed the dishes afterwards. He had not as much as gotten his clothes dirty during the entire endeavor.

So why had his hands turned out to be hurt in such a manner?

Although Shirou Schweinorg was much too drunk to notice the epiphany, he was still capable of ruining it…

"Vita!" He said gravely, causing both of the Vitas to turn to look at him. "Vita, I'm sorry."

"Erm…what for?" Yagami Vita blinked as she realized he was addressing her.

"I'm very sorry." Repeated Schweinorg, having trouble to keep his head straight. "I'm so sorry…that I took Yuuno's first time. I did not know it was reserved for you."

Silence reigned supreme at the Yagami residence.

For all of three seconds.

"_**What!?**_" The choir of disturbed individuals sang as one as they stared ath the smallest Yagami. Zafira and OS began to laugh uncontrollably as Yagami Vita planted her face unto her palms.

Eins simply picked up her master as she left the den of madness while Yuuno immediately sprung up to defend his heterosexuality. Said speech was used by Shirou Schweinorg to launch an assault on his captor, in a desperate struggle to retake the bottle of vodka from Signum's hands while lamenting her superior motor control as she kept him from obtaining another beverage.

It was a long night at the Yagami residence.

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The Yagami household was silent as a grave at the dead of night. All but two of its occupants were asleep, exhausted from a day that was the very definition of 'emotional rollercoaster'.

In the darkest hour of the night Reinforce Eins stood wide awake, watching in silent vigil over the sleeping forms of her Master and her Knight. The woman simply smiled as Vita mumbled in her dreams, before curling up against her master's chest, seeking the familiar warmth she had become accustomed to.

The sight of her sleeping master was an alluring one, and she was very much inclined to take the unspoken invitation to lie down and get some sleep herself, until a very slight knock on the door drew her attention away from her master

She turned around, her eyes narrowing as she took in the sight of the mistress of the house, clad in naught but her sleeping wear.

Yagami Hayate looked tired. Even so the girl beckoned her while placing a finger on her lips. The message was clear.

Hayate slowly walked away from the room. Reinforce waited for a few moments before following. She followed the girl trough the house until they arrived at the hallway overlooking the first floor. There, Hayate paused before turned to look at Eins.

"Hey" The girl began her voice extremely fragile as her body oozed nervosity. "I…I just…well"

Hayate took a step closer, taking a deep breath before she finally managed to formulate a sentence.

"I just… wanted to have the opportunity to talk, just the two of us." Hayate slowly spoke, a note of uncertainty on her voice.

Eins remained quiet, beckoning the girl to continue with a nod of her head.

Silence reigned on the hallway for several moments until Hayate managed to speak up again.

"I wanted to ask…if you dislike me…"

Eins remained quiet for some time before answering. "No. I do not bear you any animosity. From what I've seen you are a good person. I've known that ever since I've met your Signum, after learning what my other self had done to protect you, even though it left a wound in your heart. That was why I came here in the first place after all."

A hesitant smile blossomed on Hayate as she listened, her hands fumbling as she nervously started at her feet.

"Hayate-san…You called me out her for a reason, didn't you?" Reinforce assed, a hint of dread filling her at the hopeful glace in the girl's eyes. Most likely…

"Please stay with me... in this world." Hayate blurted out as she buried her face in the taller woman's chest.

Eins looked down at the trembling girl clinging onto her, letting out a sigh as she petted the trembling girl on the head

"I can be your master... A better master then he'll ever be." Implored Hayate, her voice starting to break. "I'll prove it to you, I _swear_. Please, just stay here with me, with us."

Reinforce Eins looked long and hard at Yagami Hayate before speaking. "I'm not yours... I'm not her..."

"But you could have been!" Said Hayate as her voice broke fully. The girl moved, facing upwards to stare at her, as her tears ran freely down her cheeks.

"If I had been a better master! If I had been strong enough! It's…

"It's… It's all my fault."

Eins placed her other hand on Hayate's cheek, calming the trembling woman. "It wasn't your lack of strength that forced her to sacrifice herself." She said slowly as she began to stroke Hayate's cheek slowly, cleaning it of the still flowing tears. "I can see both her and your strength in the child you made. I can only pray that one day I may call myself a mother to such a wonderful light."

Hayate sniffled, seemly calmed down by the soothing voice. "I-I don't want you to leave me... not after all of this, not again. Can't you all come here? Live in this world? Vita may act all tough but I'm sure she would love it…."

"Ms. Yagami…."

"..And I will make sure the TSAB does not give you any trouble. I'm sure Signum's friend will show us whatever he uses to suppress the feedback. If that doesn't work perhaps we can just increase the distance between the duplicates, move to opposite sides of the city!"

"Yagami Hayate…." Reinforce gently moved her hand away from Hayate's cheek, the girl reaching out at the retreating hand, a trembling grasp pulling at it as her continued her plea.

"Just…just stay with me...please."

"You know we can't..." Eins replied after a long pause, giving Hayate's hands a squeeze.

Hayate stared long and hard at Reinforce's ruby eyes, before dropping her gaze to the floor."I know. I know that you can't stay…But why then, why did you come here!?"

Hayate's question was more like an accusation, demanding to know why, why the woman she had lost dared to show up, only to disappear once more, leaving unfulfilled dreams and remainders of hope behind.

"I came here because I know….." Reinforce Eins began before she paused, lips trembling as she tried to find the words.

"_Ahhh.. What do you think you are doing at this point? You've given up already? Even though you swore to save them all, you are down already? Didn't you say that you would prevail even though everyone said it was impossible?"_

"That's right" Eins spoke as tears streamed down her face, wearing a sad smile as she looked down at at the trembling girl. "I know how it is…"

"_Very well, I'll play my part in your desperate gamble. Don't give me that look! This is for the sake of saving Shirou!"_

"…I know how it feels to have someone sacrificed herself because you were unable to save yourself, to have them disappear even as you cry out to them, to stop them… "

"_After all, a proper big sister has to look after her little brother!"_

"…and never being able to say that you are sorry."

"…..I'm sorry…" Hayate softly cried out as she buried her face in Reinforce's chest, hot tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry…"

"I know"

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry. I'm sorry. 'I-I-I just…"

"I know…"

The girl let out a stream of unintelligible cries as years of doubts and grief were finally unleashed, sorrows buried deep within the girl finally allowed to pour out as she poured her wounded heart empty in the bosom of the woman holding her, the taller woman herself not devoid of tears as she allowed the smaller girl to cry out her pains and sorrows. Eventually the girl managed to compose a single sentence, which she repeated like a mantra, bawling in the woman's arms

"I'm so sorry Rein… I'm so sorry…"

"Ah, I know. I know…"

_"I...ya...Il...a...I-ly-a...Illy...a? I-lly-a?...Illya?...Illya!?...Illya! Illya Illya Illya!-__**ILLYA!**__"_

"…Illyasviel.." The woman weakly muttered, lost in her own memories as she cradles the crying girl closer to her chest.

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Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg sat, tortured by the most hellish cacophony imaginable, its every beat resounded like thunder, using a mono-molecular spike in order to drive the entirety of its sonic mercilessness into the most concentrated spot it could hammer against his head.

He really did wish his heart just stop beating for a little while to cut back on the damned noise.

The blue wolf curled up next to him whined in companionable pain.

"Well glad to see you are up and moving!" Signum greeted him in an unnecessarily loud voice, causing Shirou to squeal in pain and hold his head in his hands. "Suck it up you big baby!"

Merciless after teased, the General of Fire was.

"Reeein! I can't mooove!" Lamented Vita Ritter as she held her rather bloated stomach and tottered into view. "I think I need to…ohgodI'mgoint-bleeeeh!" Said Vita as she rushed into the bathroom and began to puke her guts out.

"HA!" Yagami Vita cried triumphantly from the other side of the house. "Take that you fake copy! I could have eaten _three times_ as much and I would have been fine!"

The only sounds that could be heard for several moments were heaves and wet splashes that caused Shirou Schweinorg to rush into the kitchen to empty whatever remained in his stomach, much to Signum's disgust. "Bigger!...Tits!" Screamed Vita Ritter in between heaves, causing her alternate to color in rage.

"That's enough you." Said Hayate as she dropped her palm unto the top of her Vita's head. "She's paying for what she did, don't add on more to that."

"Yes Hayate." Said Vita with a huff.

Yuuno Scrya tottered into view a moment later; looking the very picture of the perfectly trimmed librarian. "How is everyone this morning?" He asked happily.

Shirou Schweinorg moaned, Zafira whined, Vita Ritter heaved, Hayate sighed.

Emiya Shirou walked out of the room he had shared with Reinforce Eins and his Vita. He looked to be the very picture of health. "Good morning, did you all sleep well?" He asked with a smile, he then saw the state his alternate was in and blinked. "Erm…me? What's wrong?"

Shirou Schweinorg stared at his alternate, however before he could say something Vita Ritter heaved some more, causing his stomach to continue its quest to see just how much really remained in it.

OS popped out of his sheath. "Oh! Hey! Not-boss! How come you're so dandy in the morning? You don't exactly look like the type to hold his alcohol."

Emiya Shirou blinked. "I don't know, most likely any damage from the dehydration is already fixed by the time I wake up. I just get really, really thirsty. "

If he could, OS would blink. "Are you telling me that…you did not wake up with a hangover?"

"I've never had one so far.." Emiya Shirou sheepishly nodded.

"Cheater." Schweinorg cursed in between dry heaves.

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The entirety of the Yagami family stood in their backyard, watching as Shirou Schweinorg raised his kaleidoscopic weapon. He brought it down in, weaving a strange and chaotic pattern, a multicolored wound in space was brought into being right before him. Shirou quickly thrust his left hand through it, frowning in concentration.

"Alright, it's ready." He said, turning back to his alternate.

Emiya Shirou walked up to him and clasped his forearm. "It was good meeting you … fellow me."

Shirou Schweinorg smirked. "Likewise…other me."

The both of them barked a quick laugh before Emiya Shirou turned to Vita Ritter and Reinforce Eins, gave a quick nod, and stepped through the rend.

Vita Ritter turned to the Yagami family. "You know…never thought I'd say this, but I guess a Yagami is not so bad after all."

Hayate blinked. "Erm…thank you?" Nanoha and Fate chuckled quietly, and while most of the Wolkenritter tried to figure out if they had been insulted somehow, Yagami Vita simply crossed her arms and frowned.

Vita gave her a devilish smirk. "Bigger tits!" She screamed before jumping through the kaleidoscopic portal, Yagami Vita's scream of rage following close on her heels.

Reinforce Eins stared after her little knight, a wistful smile on her face. She turned back to Reinforce Zwei and gave the smaller girl a hug. "It has been my pleasure to know you little one."

"Me too." Answered Zwei, tightening her embrace oh so very slightly. "Are you _sure _you can't stay another day?"

Eins chuckled. "No little one, my own family is waiting for me after all."

They separated, Reinforce turned to Hayate and gave her a warm smile. "Then, it seems that I will depart from your side once more. Even though it was only for a short time, I am glad we could meet."

Hayate sniffled, awkwardly wiping a tear from one of her eyes. "Y-Yeah, m-me too." She said, her voice breaking slightly. "Thank you… for everything."

Eins pulled her into a quick hug, drawing out a very quiet sniffle from the girl, one that everyone proceeded to ignore. Eventually Hayate pushed the Master Program back, now sporting a beaming smile on her face.

"This time… I'll see you off with a smile."

"Thank you."

Reinforce turned to the Aces and the Wolkenritter. "Even though this is something that doesn't need to be said…I leave her in your care."

"Ah, for that is our duty afterall." Zafira nodded, as he and his fellow knights stood straight, saluting the woman. Signum stepped forward and took Eins' hands. "Thank you very much for coming Rein…I…wish I could say or do more to express my gratitude."

Eins liberated one of her hands and placed it on Signum's cheek. "That smile, those feeling are enough for me. It is nothing I wouldn't do for you, one of my beloved knights." She said with a warm smile.

They separated and she walked to the portal. She halted before stepping through and turned to Shirou. "It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Schweinorg. I pray that you too are blessed with the winds of fortune on your journey from now on." She said with a slight bow.

"Ugh!" the young man shuddered, as if a bucket of cold water had been washed down his back. "Please just call me Shirou. Mr. Schweinorg makes me think of my old man."

Eins blinked before breaking out into a wide smile. "Of course…thank you for everything Shirou."

Shirou Schweinorg gave her a beaming smile. "Anytime Reinforce, now go, it's getting hard to keep it open, and they're waiting for you."

Eins smiled at him one more time before stepping through. Shirou pulled his hand back from the gate, causing it to collapse in a few moments.

Everyone stood quietly in the clearing, listening to the wind and contemplating what they'd gained.

"Ahem…"

Shirou Schweinorg loudly coughed as he slowly turned towards the Aces. "So…by any chance am I still a wanted criminal?"


	28. Hasty Introductions

This here chapter brought to you by one Sky Master.

I was wondering when one like this would show up in all honesty. It has room for improvement, but that's why we are all here isn't it? Sharpen our teeth in order to get better? =3

Kudos to Sky Master for making this funny and actually interesting. I myself pretty much abandoned the pokemon franchise quite a while ago.

Now!

On with the show!

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So yeah, thought I'd get out a short prologue to see if what I have in mind would even be any interesting. If not, well then it's probably for the best I didn't spend a week trying to write up a real chapter. Probably far from the best thing on site, but considering I haven't written anything outside of schoolwork for a couple of years I certainly don't think it's horrible. Anyways, we'll see where this goes.

Also, by word of God Mightyena are in the Normal category now. This is a story about alternate universes, dammit. I'll change things if I feel like it (or if I'm just too lazy to correct my mistakes).

- -

Prologue – Hasty Introductions

[Are we there yet?]

"Shut up, OS."

[How about now?]

"You keep asking the same question, and I'll keep giving you the same answer. Shut up, OS."

[Hey, boss, are we-?]

"We don't even know where we're going!" Shirou yelled at the sword strapped to his waist as he finally lost it.

[Well, geez, and here I was trying to be good company.]

"Yeah," the slider began, "remind me to thank you for that later."

After that a brief silence arose between the two travelers, Shirou continuing to walk through the endless forest they seemed to be in.

"Hey, OS?"

[Yeah, partner.]

"In all seriousness," Shirou asked, looking for any markers that might be around, "Do you have any idea where we are? You're usually pretty good at dropping us near a town or something during a jump. Did something happen?"

[Well,] OS held his tone on a note, obviously struggling with how to break the news, [I might have made just a _tiny _miscalculation when finding our new destination. I keep telling you I don't work well under pressure.]

Shirou sighed, this was an argument they'd had countless times before, and knowing his annoying mystic code as well as he did, they would probably continue to have it for many years to come. "And I keep telling you that dropping me next to eldritch abominations is not what you were meant to do."

[All she wanted to do was give you a hug.]

"And all _I_ wanted to do was go Counter Guardian on that desecration against nature."

[That would have most likely destroyed the planet, boss. What was her name anyway? Sayaka? Sara? Something like that.]

"You could actually understand that… that thing?" Shirou asked incredulously. "You know what, I don't want to know. I think I'll sleep better not understanding why the old man would install a function in you that would allow that."

[Hey, at least the one before that was funny.]

"Really? Because I'm pretty sure I wasn't laughing."

[And that's _why_ it's funny,] OS responded, as if that were the answer to everything. Which, to him at least, it probably was.

Shirou continued to keep an eye out as he followed the dirt path he'd managed to find, indicated that if nothing else there were people somewhere nearby. The issue with that logic was that he'd been walking along this road for almost two hours with no results.

"How long will it be until we can jump again?"

[That's one thing I'm trying to figure out, boss. The energy is there, but for some reason it isn't in the form of regular prana. It's not tainted or cursed, but it's like it's not something meant to be wielded by a regular magus. My guess is that it'll be at least a few days until we have the necessary power for a safe slide.]

Shirou tried to ponder what that could mean, but to his knowledge OS had never had a problem like this before. Whether this was really bad or just an oddity would depend on just where it was they were.

Almost as if his thoughts were some kind of summons, Shirou crouched down as he heard movement in the brush to his right. This could be either very good or very bad.

He certainly wasn't expecting some sort of odd creature to come barreling out at him, a flesh of green and white the only warning he got before it collided with his chest. Having more than enough experience with oversized blood-sucking insects, he immediately assumed it was such and took evasive maneuvers. Rolling back with the impact of the collision, he made sure to grab a hold of his passenger before lightly tossing it to the side. He'd also had more than enough experience with overly-enamored little girls, and it wouldn't do to hurt someone he didn't even know yet.

To be perfectly honest with himself, he was still trying to determine the difference between the two.

Finishing his tactic in a crouch, he took a look at his new acquaintance. It was small, barely a foot tall, and while it vaguely resembled a human, it most certainly wasn't one. A red horn grew out of what appeared to be a green bowl cut hairstyle, and was dressed in what appeared to be a light dress.

"Uh, OS, have any idea what that thing is?" because right now Shirou was pulling a complete blank.

[Ralts, the Feeling Pokémon. Ralts has the power to sense the emotions of people and Poké-Pssh!] OS started before cutting himself off, [What the hell just happened?!]

"Um, OS?" Shirou questioned. His partner was never this quickly unnerved, and quite frankly that voice he'd just used to describe this – Ralts, was it? – whatever it was in front of them had caught him rather off guard as well.

[I just, you ask what this thing was, and… next thing I know I'm somewhere dark and cold. What the hell was that?] OS shivered as he recalled his recent experience, though how he managed to perform motions like that was always something that managed to escape the slider.

Whatever they planned to do further was interrupted by new movement beyond the tree line. Fortunately, Shirou was now in an arguably better position than before. He was actually thankful for the most recent events when he saw their newest arrivals.

Wolves seemed to be the best term by which to describe them. A mix of black and grey fur, red eyes, and teeth made Shirou just a _little_ nervous. It didn't help when he noticed there were three of them…

[Mightyena, the Bite Pokémon. In the wild, Mightyena live in a pack. They never defy their leader's order-Dammit! Again? Really? Boss, we are getting out of here as _soon_ as possible,] OS stated after he once again slipped into some sort of alternate persona.

Shirou ignored the devices complaints, though he did take note of what he mentioned about their opponent. That meant there were probably more. Keeping an eye on the predators, he could see that the Ralts from before was now nervously hiding behind one of his legs. That at least explained why it had been in such a hurry from before. "Can you pull off a prana blast?"

Without losing a beat OS had already switched to a far more serious tone, [Not the best idea, boss. I'm low enough on the stuff as it is. Doing so would increase our time here for at least another day.]

"Alright then," Shirou relented. That meant they only had one other option.

_Running Time!_

[When in doubt, haul ass!]

"Shut up, OS!"

––––––

"Damn, is the whole freaking forest after us?!" Shirou cried out, his thoughts about the pack factor having proved true as his pursuers had now multiplied.

[I keep telling you to run faster,] OS stated as if he were speaking to an idiot.

"Yeah, well, maybe I wouldn't need to if you just learned to shut it!" as indeed, at one point after crossing a river Shirou had almost lost them. Then OS had slipped into whatever mode he was in before and starting stating things about their behavior. The status quo had returned to what it had been before soon after.

[I keep telling you that wasn't my fault!]

"I don't care!"

[You know, this isn't me trying to change the topic or anything, but why is it that you're carrying that… that _thing_?] The final word came out of OS's – mouth, is it? He is a sword you know – as if he were speaking some sort of curse. Obviously, he blamed something entirely different for their current situation.

"Oh please," Shirou scoffed, "Like I'm really going to stand by and watch some cute furry little woodland creature get eaten."

[That's exactly what you should do!]

Ignoring OS's comment he continued, "The _point_ being that this is currently our only connection to this world." He motioned with his head behind him at their pursuers, "It's certainly not like they're going to be helping us anytime soon."

The Ralts, who Shirou had made sure to grab in the middle of his escape, was currently resting in his arms similar to how a young homunculus had with a priest somewhere else in the multiverse. Though their situations varied greatly – he certainly wasn't running over 50km/h – the overall formula was uncomfortably familiar.

[You know, for being some kind of variant of a wolf these guys aren't very fast.] Please don't tempt fate OS, your handler is already lucky enough as it is that Mightyena can't learn Quick Attack.

Completely unaware of this narrator's brief interlude Shirou responded, "Actually, I think I've been getting faster lately, most likely something to do with the bleed effect. That or things have finally snapped and my legs are now prepared to break physics in order to get away from the trouble you always cause."

[That's fine and all but seriously boss, you're going to tire yourself out before these guys at the rate we're going. I'll be the first to admit I think you'd do fine in any marathon, but there's a limit to human capability, though it's not like you manage to break my perception of that _every time_. All I'm saying is that I think you're going to have stop with the flight and begin the fight.]

Shirou sighed as if he knew this were already a fact, "In other words, it's only a matter of time before our luck catches up with us, huh?"

[Exactly.]

"Alright then, I don't think we'll need a trace for this one," the slider said as they came to a stop. Depositing his passenger on the ground he turned around, noting there were roughly seven of the canines from before. He'd faced worse odds on a good day, so he wasn't necessarily worried. He'd have to be careful with his prana consumption though.

-Ten meters.

"OS, prepare a prana blast," Shirou ordered, pulling the odd sword out of its scabbard.

-Eight meters.

[Ready, partner.]

-Five meters.

"Let's do this!" Shirou announced, swinging the Kaleidosword. The blade gave off a brief flash of the multi-colored light it was renowned for, and a second later the ground exploded in an arc slightly in front of the slider. When the dust settled, it revealed the Mightyena to have stopped shortly in front of the blast, a trench now separating the two sides.

Shirou didn't waste time with this opportunity, the item in his hands no longer a blade. These guys were nothing more than animals acting on instinct. He already knew there'd be no reason for death in this conflict if he could avoid it. Shirou Schweinorg was not as open to killing as were some of his counterparts. After all, he still had a small grasp on reality.

-His only goal here… was to show who was stronger.

"OS, Tora Shinai!"

A weapon feared instinctively by the Shirou collective, it was a cursed weapon demanding blood, yet at the same time one that would never spill it. Wielded by that irresponsible sister figure of the Emiya household, it was a weapon none-the-less that would have taken her to finals if it weren't for the tiger strap attached to the hilt.

One could say it was the perfect weapon for his current situation.

Though they avoided his first strike, two of his opponents were injured, leaning on the side opposite that had taken the majority of the blast. They were also the closest, and caught off guard by the sudden resistance this human was showing in front of them their flanks were exposed.

Two strikes, two hints, two foreign cries of injury.

Two down, five to go.

Moving by instinct, his surprise attack alerted the canines out of their stupor. One leaped to meet his next strike, catching the wooden sword in its teeth and gripping for all it was worth. The sudden weight made him leave an opening in his stance, and yet another of the Mightyena ran in to meet it.

Rather than resist the pressure his weapon was under, Shirou turned with it, the force behind his swing now also adding to the wolf's weight as it landed on the ground. The impact caught it unaware, loosening its grip on his weapon as its front legs collapsed beneath it. Unfinished, the slider completed his swing, repelling the second attack just as it was making its way behind his guard.

Jumping away to put some distant between him and his opponents, Shirou took stock of the situation. Two of them were down, one was getting back on its feet, another shook its disoriented head, while three remained unharmed.

He paused before jumping back in though, as his most recent combatants began howling in pain. Then he noticed the odd note his new acquaintance behind him was singing, attributing that to this newest development. He smirked, so his new friend wasn't entirely defenseless after all.

Unwilling to leave such a chance behind, soon two more of the canines joined their fellows in the realm of unconsciousness.

Four down, three to go.

This time his opponents took no more chances, and Shirou soon found himself surrounded by the remaining three. His overconfidence proved to be the slider's undoing though as he met two of them with his weapon and left elbow respectively. Though the shinai was a proper impediment for one of them, the other proved there was a lot more force behind their tackles than the slider had properly considered. The vibrations that traveled through his arm left yet another opening that this time the wolves made sure to take advantage of.

He managed to hold back a pained grunt when he felt the third get a hold of his right leg in its maw.

Whatever he planned to do in retaliation though would be left unknown, as the canine fell victim to the same attack the Ralts had used before on its fellows. It wouldn't be until much later that Shirou would learn that his ally was currently using an attack named Confusion by the local populace.

Taking his chances, Shirou didn't hesitate to use his recently freed leg to kick the mutt in its face, actually managing to knock it back a few feet. The attack once again found him in the middle of a turn, though this time instead of using it to attack he used it to perform a quick spin after jumping in the air, once again distancing himself from his opponents.

Finding his foot bumping into something he found some sort of large fruit had fallen from the tree behind him. Figuring it would work as well as anything, he picked it up and gave it a good throw. Displaying the accuracy he'd gained from it being a signature to almost all Shirou, it bounced off the head of the Mightyena he'd just disabled.

It was only luck really that the Chesto Berry he'd happened to pick up was also known for its thick skin.

Five down, two to go.

By now it was obvious to the remainder of what had once been a pack that they were outmatched in this fight. They kept their distance from the boy, allowing the slider to notice it wouldn't take much more to scare them off. Dispelling OS back into his original form, he made a call that would have left any outsider puzzled.

"OS, pepper spray."

[Oh, you've got to be…] the mystic code complained as he followed through on the order anyway, the gem sword being replaced by what most would call a small aerosol can. The canines made the mistake of assuming they now had some sort of upper hand, and made a final joint attack.

They quickly learned the boy had simply pulled out his trump card.

Seven down, victory achieved.

[Seriously, most demeaning thing you've _ever_ made me trace into,] OS muttered as he reformed, Shirou placing him back into the sheath strapped to his waist.

"Shut up, OS."

Walking over to the creature he decided to call Ralts for the time being, if for no other reason than to stop referring to it as a thing, he crouched down and affectionately ruffled it's head. It seemed worried for some reason, probably still shaken up by the chase.

"Hey, thanks for the save back there," he said, trying to muster up the most comforting tone he could. For some reason, whether this little creature was human or not, it reminded him strongly of a young child. Its behavior, its size, the way it held its arm to its mouth making it look like it was sucking its thumb.

When he saw it reach out for his leg where the Mightyena had bitten him, he realized its concern wasn't entirely for itself. He laughed, trying to give off an air to show he was fine, before he was cut silent as it reached out with its other hand to give its best impression of a hug with its small arms.

[Ralts has the power to sense the emotions of people and… Dammit! Not again!] OS cried out, disturbing the peace between them.

This time Shirou really did laugh, and though he wasn't even sure if it was capable of human speech, something told him his new companion was doing the same.

[Shut up, boss!]

"Come on, let's get out of here," the slider announced once he managed to calm down. Standing up, he smiled when the Ralts fell in beside him.

Reaching out one of its hands and grabbing the tail of his trench coat, it showed no difficulty at staying in step with him despite its size.

It was the beginning of what would become an irreplaceable friendship.


	29. Truth

*type type type type type type type* ( ・ω・）m_

*pause.* ( *ω*）_

*Type type type type type type type* ( ・ω・）m_

*Pause*( =ω=）

*Type type type type type type type* ( ・ω・）m_

*Pause* ( =,=)I'm forgetting something aren't I?

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( =c=)Screw it.

*type type type type type type type* ( ・ω・）m_

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Muse:

|・ω・)

|・c・)≦(Do forgive, Santo is rather busy with a personal original writing project and has seen himself rather busy.)

|・ω・)

|・c・)≦(His muse managed to make him write this in bits and pieces. Hope you enjoy.)

|・ω・)

|ω・)

|・)

|ノ⌒*

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Strategic Snippet Bomb!

... ... ... Σ且

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Yagami Hayate sat on her couch with a relieved sigh, her two best friends following her example. "Well that was…something else." She said after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

Fate T. Harlaown and Takamachi Nanoha both sighed. "To think he would be that hard to catch even though he was right in front of us." Said Nanoha tiredly after a few moments of silence.

"You know." Said Fate. "It sort of makes you wonder how often he needs to run away."

When Hayate's 'guest' had asked them if he was still a wanted criminal, there was the very minor hiccup that there was, in point of fact, a warrant for his arrest. A warrant that had been pushed out of the minds of everyone due to the people that he had brought with him.

Fate had begun to explain that yes, he technically was, and she needed him to come with her…

Shirou Schweinorg had jumped over the fence and was three quarters of the way to a crowd down the street, before she had a chance to explain that she needed to get a statement and clear him of those charges.

The chase had lasted a few hours, and they had only been able to catch him thanks to Signum.

They had all thought her insane for making the suggestion of a bribe. After all, who in their right mind would think that a mage's own device would give him up to hostile authorities? For a set of relatively inexpensive cutlery no less?

As it now stood, he had been cleared of most of the charges. The area he had destroyed had been scheduled for demolition anyways, and Signum had volunteered to spend the day with him to 'Keep him out of trouble.'

The rest of the Wolkenritter had decided to shadow them in order to 'Make sure he did not try anything.' They had proceeded to get several of Hayate's more expensive cameras in order to 'Make their surveillance more effective.'

Hayate did not look forward to the great teasing that she would get to do…none at all.

Still, that left the three Aces rather tired and, apart from Nanoha who should really get back to work, with a free afternoon, and so the three sat in comfortable silence, resting from the ordeals of the day.

"Hey." Said Nanoha. "You recall how both Shirous said that earth magic is actually different from Mid-Chilan magic?"

"Yes." Answered Fate after a few moments of silence.

"I think…I think it would be worth looking into." Said Nanoha slowly. "The alternate of Mr. Shirou we met…it seemed that he managed to mesh both of the systems rather well, with some very good results if Signum's report of her fight against the…Trace? Is accurate."

"Yes but." Said Hayate as she sat up from her slump. "We would need a willing subject in order to more deeply study the Earth…Magecraft. Emiya Shirou went back to his home dimension, and Shirou Schweinorg said he is only staying one more day."

"Hrm…true." Said Nanoha as she fell quiet.

The three elapsed into a pensive silence for a few moments before Fate sat up. "Hey…didn't Mr. Schweinorg say that there are an infinite number of alternates? I seem to recall that he borrowed their abilities and memories whenever he saw the need."

Nanoha blinked. "Yeah?"

"So…" Began Fate, only to be interrupted as an understanding light was enkindled on Hayate's eyes.

"So we should see if there is a native alternate in _our_ world!" She said with a smile. "Explain the situation, keep how we heard of him rather vague, and see about recruiting him and learning more about earth mages in general!"

"Do you think Mr. Schweinorg would get upset if we did?" Asked Fate with some worry on her voice.

"I don't see why he would." Answered Nanoha with a smile. "According to him, most of his alternates get into trouble a lot, we would only be helping."

"Well…I think we should strike while the iron is hot." Said Hayate with a smile.

Nanoha deflated. "Ugh…I have to get back to work though." She said with the air of the damned.

Fate and Hayate chuckled. "Well." Said Fate. "I'll go with you, and who knows? Maybe you'll be training him before long Nanoha."

"Yes! I look forward to it!" Responded the brunette with a smile.

"Alright, we'll get ready and let you know how it goes." Said Hayate with a smile of her own. "Let me just tell my knights, they tend to worry." She said as she concentrated on the telepathic link she had to the Wolkenritter.

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"Hey boss check that out! That Multi Dimensional GPS thingy-ma-bob seems like it would be good!" Said OS enthusiastically as his partner browsed some of Mid-Childa's hardware stores.

Shirou Zelretch Scwheinorg did not dignify him with a response.

"…Are you still mad at me because I gave you up?" Asked OS after a few moments of awkward silence.

For all the reaction Shirou showed, he was blind and deaf to the sapient sword's words.

"Aww _c'moon_ boss! It was silver! _Silver!_" Said OS enthusiastically. "Can you even recall the last time I got to hang out with a silver knife!? And she was so _fiiiiiine~_"

Shirou finally showed a response to OS' words.

He drew the weapon faster than the eye could track, and smacked it against a concrete support hard enough that the sound was heard several yards away.

"Owww! Boss what's up with th-Ouch! Ok you stop that right now miste-AHH THE PAIN!" Said OS as Shirou repeatedly smashed him against concrete.

Several of the store clerks wanted to tell the young man to stop, but were rather terrified. He had an Intelligent Device, and the way he was mistreating it showed he had the power to replace it.

"E-Excuse me sir?" Said one of the more valiant girls who worked at the store, the stutter in her voice showing exactly how calm she was. "C-Could y-you p-please not d-do that? Y-You are disturbing other c-costumers?"

Shirou turned to her, his stare hot enough to melt through steel caused the girl to be frozen in her tracks.

He then smashed OS one last time before sheathing him at his belt. "Sorry to cause a disturbance." He muttered sullenly as he walked around her, picked a jacket that had been treated with magic to change color, and headed to the counter.

The people that had been making a beeline for the counter all proceeded to freeze and let the enraged redhead through. He stepped up to the person manning the register and set the jacket down in front of the clerk.

The clerk ran the item with trembling hands. "W-Would that be all sir?"

"Yes." Was Shirou's succinct response.

"T-That will be twenty-five hundred credits." Stuttered the young cashier.

Shirou stared at the young man for a full minute. The cashier had sweat several buckets after the first fifteen seconds. His legs trembling after thirty. By the time the minute was up, the poor kid was little more than a trembling wreck.

"You take dollars?" Asked Shirou.

The cashier blinked. "W-What?"

"Dollars, do you take them?" Repeated the slider.

"N-No?"

"Euros?"

"Erm…no."

"Pesos?"

"I ahh…no?"

"Khornes?"

"Erm…no?"

"Pounds?"

"T-The measure of weight?"

"Rupees?"

"…What?"

"Thrones?"

"I ahh…no?"

Shirou stared at the cashier for a few moments more. "I'm sorry to have wasted your time." He said as he turned to the door and walked out.

The cashier's legs gave out from under him and he slumped down on his seat, the whole of the store raising a cheer for him.

Shirou walked down the street in a huff looking for a place where he could exchange currency.

OS popped out of his sheath and spoke in a chipper tone. "Wow boss, that must have been embarrasi-mfptb." Only to be interrupted as Shirou shoved him back into his sheath in a most ungentle way.

Shirou was forced to stop when the jacket he had just failed to buy was thrown unto his face.

"Sheesh, I take my eyes off you for one second and you make a mess." Said Signum with a sigh.

Shirou looked at her for a moment before turning away with a huff.

Only to receive a rather painful chop to the head, courtesy of the lady keeping him company. "I got you your jacket, you could at least say thanks."

Shirou mumbled something incoherent.

Signum smirked. "You are just mad because I outsmarted you."

"As if!" Responded the slider immediately. "You bribed! _You bribed OS! _It's not supposed to work like that at all!"

Signum shrugged. "And you were not expecting it, therefore it worked. So I outsmarted you."

Shirou immediately launched into a long-winded explanation as to the rules of engagement.

Some distance away, there were three very not-suspicious people standing on a rooftop.

"Urgh! When will they get to the juicy part!?" Said not-suspicious person number one with an angry toss of one of her braided twin-tails.

"This should not be rushed." Said not-suspicious person number two as she adjusted the cap that hid her golden hair. "You can see that they are awkward around one another, this means that there is still hope!"

Not-suspicious person number one was about to retort, when not-suspicious person number three's lupine ears gave a twitch. "Wait…something's happening!" He said with far more intensity than the situation called for.

"Besides!" Said Shirou as he walked beside Signum. "Why are _you_ the one buying me stuff? In a date it's supposed to be the guy buying the girl stuff, its tradition!"

Signum blushed, grimaced, crossed her arms, and then spoke in a no-nonsense tone. "Well, I've never been on a date. So I don't know how it's supposed to go."

Shirou snorted. "Well if it makes you feel any better I'm not one with great experience on the subject."

"It actually does…a little." Answered Signum with a small smile.

"Well it shouldn't." Retorted Shirou. "Anyways, lunch is on me but it's a tad early for that. Know of any good movies out right now?"

As Signum gave her response, not-suspicious persons numbers one through three jumped to the next rooftop in order to remain in range of their target.

"Did you hear that?" Said not-suspicious person number three as he re-adjusted his shades, his lupine tail wagging happily. "They used the word 'date' and not in a chronological sense."

Not-suspicious person number one smirked. "Yes they did. Yes they did. You know what that means don't you?"

"Blackmail?" Asked number three.

"Blackmail." Answered number one.

A low, undulating, rich, and malevolent laugh filled the two of them with dread. They turned to its source and saw 'not'-suspicious person number two working the camera for all it was worth with a few drops of saliva running down her chin.

"Yes, yes, _yesssss._ She blushed! Ohh the face of a pure maiden~" Said number two as she continued to take pictures of the most likely unaware couple.

Not-suspicious persons number one and three shuddered.

"Do…you think she is channeling Hayate a little strongly there?" Asked not-suspicious person number one.

"It's…creeping me out." Said not-suspicious person number three with a nod.

"Oh! He bought her something! And she is so awkward! How romantic~"

Not-suspicious persons number one and three shuddered.

Shirou and Signum, blessed in their ignorance, simply went to watch a movie.

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"But I'm telling you that's a complete and utter lie." Said Shirou Schweinorg around a mouthful of steak, he then swallowed noisily and continued with his argument. "Nanoha had not yet matured to the point where she had island destroying capabilities. She had no idea how she would even _hit_ Fate with it until Fate tried a restrict on her. If given the opportunity Fate would have simply evaded the attack and stabbed her in the gut. And the music was a little _too_ dramatic." His points made, Shirou resolutely took another bite of his food.

"It's a _dramatization_ for a reason." Stated Signum with great dignity. "Of course they can't show _exactly_ how it happened."

"But what originally happened was more than emotionally charged enough!" Said Shirou before angrily taking a bite off an onion ring. "Not to mention that you should pay a little lip to accuracy."

"And who made you such an expert?" Asked Signum with a huff.

"Downloaded the memories of an alternate that was present." Said Shirou immediately and in a monotone.

Signum gave him a flat stare. But to say her gaze was flat is as much an understatement as saying 'a mountain is massive'; it was a statement that, while not wrong, did not convey the true _power_ of the gaze in question. It was a gaze so flat, so unerringly pristine in its absolute lack of vertical deviation, it made Vita's chest appear to rival Signum's own in its curvature. "That ability of yours is a little too convenient. How do I know you are not just making it up?"

Shirou looked hurt. "Would I lie to you?"

"Yes."

"The confidence you have in me would inspire legends in the times to come."

Their argument continued in not-too-hushed tones, drawing the unashamed attention of several of the other patrons and a few waitresses.

The workers of the diner had been very surprised to see the redhead appear with the rosette. After all, one would not think that the very same person that had broken one of their windows when making their very dramatic escape from the lady he now escorted, would show their face at the restaurant as if nothing untoward had happened.

But as it turns out…he had. And he had left a gold bar that not only paid for the great amount of food he and a guest had consumed, but it was enough funds to repair the damage he caused, and do some refurnishing that the owner had been itching to do for a while. So they had not turned him away.

The two had proceeded to find seats. The young man had ordered Chargrilled Coulotte Steak while the lady had asked for Steak Diane.

They had then proceeded to chat, then argue about a movie they had apparently just seen. And were now in the middle of discussing its climax and finale.

The staff had been mindful of three very suspicious people that had come in and sat at the opposite side of the restaurant from the arguing couple. And were even now doing things that were most certainly…nefarious.

"Ok, ok. I'll give you the whole 'dramatization' bit, and that a movie without good music would not be all that good." Said Shirou as he waved a french fry. "But there is one thing that bothers me more than everything else combined."

Signum took a bite of her mashed potatoes before replying. "And what would that be?"

"Ok so bear with me here." Said Shirou, putting his fork down to show the seriousness of what he was about to discuss. "So…at the end there. Nanoha put together what was basically all the left over magical energy from their entire fight."

Signum nodded.

"She then transformed all of this magical energy into one enormous ball of doom that makes the words 'complete annihilation' seem an understatement."

Signum nodded a second time.

"She then proceeded to aim her staff at it in order to create a magic circle from which she could fire it at Fate."

Signum stabbed a mushroom with her fork, placed it in her mouth, and began to chew before nodding.

Shirou blinked, shook his head, wiped a little drool off his lips and continued. "Now, not going into the whole 'Fate was not restricted therefore she would have dodged rather than try to block it' argument. She proceeded to fire it at Fate, who blocked it. Causing _fractions_ of its power to rain around their battlefield, annihilating buildings and countryside as far as the eye could see."

Signum took a sip of her drink, then nodded.

"Fate's shield collapses, she takes the full brunt of the attack. It proceeds to drive _through_ a building, completely vaporizing a perfect circle through it."

Signum nodded.

Shirou took a sip of his drink to wet his now-dry throat. "And Fate did not die because Nanoha's device was set to stun." He made his final statement while raising a questioning eyebrow.

Signum stared at Shirou for a full minute.

She then blinked.

Opened her mouth.

Closed it.

Opened it again.

Blinked a second time.

Closed her mouth with a 'click'.

And emitted a pensive huff.

"You know..." She said after a few more moments of silence. "I…never really thought about that."

"See _that's _what I'm talking about!" Said Shirou as he picked up his fork again. "And I'm not even going into the whole 'Yuuno can bind tornadoes' thing."

"Wait." Said Signum as she held up her left hand. "Yuuno can bind tornadoes?"

Shirou blinked. "Erm…yes…yes he can. Didn't you know?"

"I…but…that doesn't make any _sense!_"

Their argument degenerated into a certain blond librarian's abilities.

On the other side of the diner, not-suspicious person number two tortured a handkerchief in frustration. "Why are they only chatting!? They should have advanced beyond this now!"

Not-Suspicious person number one looked up from her cheesecake. "Hu? Did you say something?"

Shamal looked at Vita and Zafira, both of whom concentrated more on their food than on spying on Signum, with disgust. "Have you forgotten what we are here to do!?" Whisper-yelled Shamal reproachfully.

"Erm…" Said Zafira, taking a moment to look up from his food. "I ahh…eat and then continue spying on them?"

Before Shamal could berate him for his lack of diligence, she was interrupted by Hayate. _"Hey guys. I'm glad to see you're all enjoying yourselves."_ Hayate's voice chimed in the group's heads.

Before either the group of conspicuously suspicious people or Signum could retort to her, the chipper voice continued talking.

_"No nono, don't stop yourselves on my account, I'm relieved and happy to see my cute knights out having fun. I just wanted to tell you that I'm going on a field trip with Fate to scout out some new talent._

_"I shouldn't be gone for too long, so don't worry about a thing. It's just a routine scouting trip. And before you say anything about it not being my job or whatnot, Nanoha's busy and it doesn't hurt to stretch your legs a bit." _There was a pause so brief, it may as well have not been there to take advantage of, even if the knights hadn't been dumbstruck by the out of the blue announcement. _"We're dropping by Fuyuki, Japan. I'll see you soon and I'm bringing back souvenirs~"_

She then cut off the telepathic link.

"And she does it again." Murmured Shamal after a few moments. "C'mon you two, we need to track her down."

While Zafira settled the bill, Shamal sent Signum a message not to worry and that they would take care of it.

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"_Dammit_ Lady Hayate!" Murmured Signum as she set her utensils down and massaged her temples, her appetite completely vanished.

"What was that about?" Asked Shirou as he took the last bite of his steak.

Signum closed her eyes in an attempt to stave off the building headache. "Hayate just went to Japan to look at some 'new talent' and she did not take any of the knights with her. Zafira, Shamal, and Vita will find her and keep her safe."

Shirou stopped before taking a sip of his drink, he then set the glass down very carefully on the table. "Did she ahh…tell you _where_ she was going?"

"Yeah, she's going to Japan, Fuyuki-" Signum blinked before crossing her arms. "Wait…Fuyuki…that's a familiar name." Said Signum slowly with her brow furrowed.

Shirou steepled his fingers and set his hands carefully down on the table. "Did…Did you say 'Fuyuki'?"

Sinum nodded. "Yeah, that's where she said she was going, 'a routine scouting trip'…Fuyuki, wasn't that the name of the town your alternate said he was from?" Asked Signum as she turned back to look at the slider.

She then noticed that he was white as a sheet.

"Shirou? Shirou what's wrong?" Asked Signum with worry in her voice.

"I ahh…n-nothing…it's just…" Vacillated Shirou as he stared at his hands, his breathing starting to gain speed.

With a tortured scream, the duct tape holding OS in his sheath tore, allowing the weapon to pop out and speak once more. "Boss? Boss you are not looking too good."

Shirou jumped. "N-No I'm fi-"

Signum cut him off before he could finish his lie. "Shirou, what's going on?" She asked in a steely tone.

"I ahh…I'll…we need to get to Fuyuki, I can't explain right now, but we need to get to Fuyuki!" Said Shirou, he then raised his hand and called for the check.

It should be a testament to the readiness of the Wolkenritter that Signum did not even blink, she nodded, accepting the Slider's statement. "Why?"

"She's not in any danger but…She…She's not going to find what she is looking for." Said Shirou, he then left a credit chit with enough in it to pay for his food a few times over and stood up.

Signum was not far behind. "What _will_ she find?" She asked as they stepped out the door.

Shirou grit his teeth.

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A Belkan Dimensional Transfer held very few similarities with the Second Magic.

The Second Magic could be used to access, monitor, and affect universes that ran parallel (or, for that matter, perpendicular, neither, and everything in between) to the one the user was in.

It could be used to open a portal that connected one's home reality, to one in which humanity had never evolved. It could connect one from there to a place where Man has evolved and ascended into a Higher form, each of their doings more wondrous than any form of magic, their weapons so vicious they would give even the most belligerent pause. It could take one to a universe that is but a shadow, a set of possibilities that is barely held together and could fall apart the moment the likelihoods they represent become an impossibility.

It could even connect one to a world that was exactly the same, except that the only used currency was pudding.

A Dimensional Transfer spell worked differently, its function but a facet of the Second Magic. The only thing it could do was to map Coordinate A and Coordinate B, then take an object from A, and place it in B.

But even so, its limitation was also a boon. For while a grievous enough error _could_ prove fatal, there were safeguards set into the spell itself to prevent this. Ensuring one would not end up in the incorrect universe by the misplacement of a decimal point.

This flashed through Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg's mind and was promptly discarded as he set off running the moment the transfer was finished. Shooting out of the alley they had teleported into and rushing through streets that were both alien and familiar, streets he could recall both growing up in and having seen only a few times in passing.

Signum kept pace a few steps behind him. The only coordinates Shirou knew perfectly were those leading directly _into_ the Emiya residence, as such it had taken her a few minutes to find an alternate place that they could teleport to. They could only hope that Hayate and Fate had had some difficulties finding the house.

Shirou turned the corner of a house and they came into view of a large white wall, the roof of a very traditional Japanese residence could be seen peeking over the wall's edge.

At the door stood two ladies, one with long blond hair, the other with shoulder length brown hair.

The hand of the second girl raised to the doorbell.

"_**STOP!**_" Screamed Shirou desperately, causing the two girls to jump and turn around.

They were treated to the sight of a very flustered Shirou Schweinorg, panting heavily with sweat falling in rivulets down his face. Signum emerged from the same alleyway he did a moment later.

Fate blinked. "Mr. Schweinorg what-?" She stopped when she saw a look of outmost horror pass by his face and he jumped back into the alley, dragging Signum with him.

Before she could say anything else, the door sprang open and she was almost run over by a girl with lavender hair.

"Sempai-!?" She called happily with dewy eyes before she gasped and jerked to a stop.

The three women stood flabbergasted until the lavender haired girl blinked away the tears in her eyes. "Ah…how may I help you?" She asked with a polite smile, her tone feminine and her voice mellifluous.

Hayate blinked. "Ah! Y-Yes, please pardon me. We are searching for one Emiya Shirou?"

The polite smile in the girl's face evaporated.

"Ahh…I see." She said in an empty tone, "May I inquire as to the reason you need him?"

Hayate grinned and waved a hand. "Ohh it's nothing _too_ important. We are just in town for a few hours and decided to drop by and have a chat. Is he home?"

The lavender haired girl stared at the two women for a few moments. "Please come in, senpai is not in right now, but I'm sure he'll be back any moment." She said as she motioned them in.

"Ah, pardon the intrusion." Said Hayate with a smile as she walked into the house with Fate.

"Would you like tea or coffee?" Asked Sakura as she gave the outside one last searching look, before closing the door.

Shirou Zelretch Schweinorg waited a full ten seconds after the door closed to start breathing again. He then very carefully peeked from the corner he was at, and stared at the closed door for a few moments.

"Boss?" Asked OS in an uncharacteristically subdued tone.

Shirou moved back, sat against the wall, and planted his face in his palms.

"Shirou…Shirou are you well?" Asked Signum worriedly.

"I just…I just…dammit." Answered Shirou slowly.

And sobbed.

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"When I said that most of my alternates manage to wrestle a win out of the bad situation they get into in their youth…I was lying." Said Shirou slowly, leaning so far back on the park bench that he was staring at the skies.

"What do you mean?" Asked Signum after a long moment of silence, a lonely breeze passing through the small park ruffling her hair and making the rusty swings sway with a lonely creak. She made a telepathic connection with Fate and Hayate, relaying what she saw and heard to them through the link.

Shirou smirked, when next he spoke, the bitterness in his voice weighed heavily in the minds of the three ladies listening to him. "Think about it. They are outnumbered, outgunned, and outclassed in a life or death struggle. Fighting Heroes from ages past most of whom move and fight at speeds they cannot even _perceive_. One single wrong choice means death…sometimes the _right_ choice would mean death. Most are thrust into this conflict…and they don't even know how to activate their magic correctly."

Signum blinked. "That…that most certainly sounds like a severe disadvantage."

Shirou laughed, a somewhat hysteric edge to it. "I'm honestly surprised that there are those that live to the end! And you won't _believe_ some of the things they get to experience before dying." Said Shirou as he pointedly refused to meet Signum's eyes. "Torn apart so that only his head remains but he does not die, and _that_ taken away for torture. Killed off as an afterthought. Have their soul taken from their body and placed in a doll. Or a personal favorite, digested by a physical representation of all evils humanity is capable of." Shirou barked out a laugh. "Oh get this one! Turned into a magic wand! That can happen to a person! And me? Well…I get to experience them all when I let my guard down."

"I…" Signum fell quiet, the link she had set up with Hayate worked both ways, and she could see Matou Sakura sitting in front of Hayate.

Sakura gave a small smile. "I've brought the tea, it's not much but please make yourselves at home."

Fate took a small sip of the tea, it was delicious. She coughed delicately into her hand, drawing Sakura's attention to her. "Excuse me, I do not mean to be rude, but do you know when Emiya Shirou would be back? The matter we are here to discuss is important."

Sakura smiled and took a sip of her drink. "Would you mind telling me what it is about?"

Fate returned the smile. "I'm sorry but it is a rather private subject, I'm afraid we would not feel comfortable discussing it with anyone else. Do you have any idea when he will return?"

The smile left the girl's face, she turned to the side and directed her gaze at two flower pots arranged neatly against the wall. The flowers on them were strong and healthy, it was evident they were meticulously cared for. Sakura turned back and looked the two of them in the eye. "You mean…that you actually do not know?" She asked slowly.

Hayate tilted her head with a smile. "Do not know what?"

Sakura sighed. "Sempai…has been missing for five years." She chuckled quietly. "When he comes home I'm going to be very cross with him. Why I remember when he-"

Neither Hayate nor Fate paid attention to the girl as she continued. Instead they silently beseeched Signum for an answer.

Signum returned her attention to the Slider who sat patiently beside her. "Shirou…where is you alternate?"

Shirou sighed.

"You know…this park we are at? It's what I like to call a 'Nexus'." He said as he leaned forward and rested his forearms on his legs, letting his head hang down. "I call it a Nexus because it is a sort of…to use the words of a certain seer…a 'gray area' a place where a person's life will change, a moment in time that marks a pivotal point in how they will lead their lives."

Shirou closed his eyes and fisted his hands to hide their trembles. "I can feel it…five years ago…five years ago the Holy Grail War raged in this city. It took one of the bloodiest turns that it can take. Things changed, events escalated. Until he was here…_right _here, sitting just like I am now." Shirou shuddered. "He was speaking to someone...but that is a story that is not mine to divulge, suffice it to say, a great many of my alternates would die to protect her.

"Now…at this moment…at this moment in time three things happened. One, Emiya Shirou died." Shirou's statement was made with a conviction as strong as steel, he had stated a simple fact, nothing more.

Before Signum could ask anything, he continued. "Second, a…a monster was spawned. Something cold and unfeeling, human in name only. Colder than the most Arctic wind, as soft and forgiving as a steel beam. Something so terrifying I shudder to even _think_of it…something that killed eight people in four days, then just left. Killing hundreds more in the name of saving thousands…never once feeling even a single ounce of guilt.

"Third, a man was born…one who would give up his very Soul in order to keep his word." Shirou sighed and kicked a small stone by his foot. He turned back to Signum and for the first time since they had arrived, met her eyes.

The pain in them was utterly evident. "_That_ is the Shirou of this dimension. The man who was too weak to do what was necessary, and so strapped what was for all intents and purposes a bomb to his chest, gaining power in exchange for his life. The man who stood up to what can only be described as an avalanche and halted it cold. The man who discarded his heart, tore it out of his chest with his own hands in order to ensure without a shadow of a doubt that he could keep his word. Sakura waits for a man who expended his soul so that she could live free…She waits for the return of a man she utterly destroyed."

Shirou leaned back again and stared at the clouds. "In the end." He said slowly. "In the end it was all for nothing. The girl I told you of…the girl he and many an alternate would give their life to protect; died. The woman for whom he tore out his heart, the one for whom he expended all that he was; mind, body, and soul…She lies trapped in a memory; a delusion from which no one will be able to rouse her.

"In the end…all he did went to nothing." Shirou barked out a bitter laugh. "That's all that we are…all that we will ever be. Nothing." He then turned to Signum and met her eyes again. "Fate…Hayate. I know you are watching. When she asks, tell her that he helped you out in the past, you were in the city for a little while and were in need of help. That you were impressed with his spirit. Tell her you are there because a job opportunity opened up, and thought of him even though you fell out of contact. Tell her that you had not heard of his disappearance and hope for his speedy return. She should buy it." He returned his eyes to the skies and exhaled nosily. "Don't try to breach the subject that he is dead…she has been denying that for five years."

Signum saw Sakura turn back to Hayate, and allowed the link to die away as she began to say what Shirou Schweinorg had suggested. After that, Signum turned back to her companion. "Shirou…what's wrong? You do not look well at all."

Shirou gave her a pained smile. "So you can see it eh? Its…I guess you could say it's all crashing on me." He hugged himself in order to stop the trembling of his arms.

It did not work.

"I ahh." Vacillated Shirou. "It's…everything. Seeing Hell in that universe we were at…getting my body hijacked by a Trace, almost dying a few times…and now?" Shirou shuddered and turned away from Signum to hide the tears that wanted to fall from his eyes. "Now…I'm getting bombarded with two sets of memories. One of an alternate that would not hesitate to kill a child if it served to save two others. The other of one who lost every piece of himself bit by bit until nothing remained. It's…it hurts." The last word was delivered in a choked voice as he sought to rein in the sobs that kept trying to escape him. His breathing forceful and even.

Signum remained torn, not knowing what to say or do to alleviate the obvious pain her companion was in. In the end, she settled for what Hayate always did when Vita woke from a nightmare.

She stood in front of him, and hugged his head to her belly.

Shirou remained frozen for a few moments, then took hold of Signum's upper arms with the intention of pushing her away. He had dealt with bad things before, she did not need to worry for him.

His grip tightened until he was sure it would leave bruises, it tightened further, causing Signum to suppressed a pained grimace. His grip tightened until Signum was the only thing holding him up.

Signum held the trembling slider, gently ruffling his hair until his façade of strength finally cracked.

And he wept.


End file.
